To Be Alone
by faeriegal713
Summary: Bella's parents have died and the Cullens become her foster family after Alice has dozens of visions of her death. Why is she seeing the future of a girl she's never met? And what does it mean for her family? A/U Canon pairings
1. Chapter 1 They Left Me Alone

**A/N - So, I decided that I probably do not need to have anything beta'd unless you all tell me that this is pathetic. The story kinda changed while I was writing it, but I think it is for the better.**

**Pretty typical storyline I think - Bella's parents all end up passing away and Bella gets adopted by the Cullens after some forceful arguing on Alice's part. Canon pairings though it will take a long while for Edward to connect two and two. But that is all for future reference. Right now, Bella is going to be sad. And she will be sad for several chapters. I promise Alice and Emmett will get to play with her soon, but not yet.**

**Please review and let me know what you think - your ideas = better story. :-)**

**Disclaimer - All the great characters belong to Stephanie Meyer - I'm just trying to have some fun with them for a while.**

**Bella's POV**

I opened my eyes and was no longer sitting at Qdoba with Deb. Instead, I was suddenly sitting on a bed that I was unfamiliar with, in a room that I felt I should have recognized. I was sitting with my right leg curled up beneath me and my left leg dangling off the side. In front of me, a mirror image of my own position, was a man. Despite his close proximity, I could not see him clearly. It was as if there was a sheet of warped glass between us; his features were all squished and stretched into a funny characature of a face.

The lighting was poor. I could tell that his hair was disheveled and was a shade of red and that his skin was pale ivory. His lips were a deep red, almost the same color of drying blood. _Why would I think of blood when I see his lips?_ I wondered to myself. It was at that moment in time that I realized that we were talking. His lips were moving, but whatever force was obscuring my vision of this man was also messing with my hearing. All I was hearing was an echo of an echo of words. I could not tell what he was saying, but I could hear that his voice had a haunting quality to it.

I blinked again and when I opened my eyes Deb was in front of me.

It was one of those moments that makes you question whether you are awake or asleep or somewhere in between. I thought I had been sitting at Qdoba with Deb, enjoying a great taco salad. Everything seemed absolutely normal around us and I don't think that I normally have music that I dislike playing in my dreams; really, Justin Timberlake is _not_ what I usually choose to listen to. That was Deb's type of music, not mine. All of this pointed towards the theory that I was not only awake, but perfectly cognizant.

"Bella? Hey, Earth to Bella!" I jerked in my seat in front of Deb. She snapped her fingers in front of my eyes and looked exasperated with my abrupt departure from our conversation. "Oh goody! You're back." She had a sharp tongue and even sharper wit. How she dealt with someone as slow on the uptake as me is something I still question from time to time.

"So where was I before I was so rudely disregarded?" She asked. I struggled to remember what she had been going on about.

"I think you were telling me how great your most recent conquest was." I motioned with my hand for her to continue.

"Glad you were paying at least some attention." She snapped and tried to glare, though it is very a poor idea to glare at someone while smiling. It decreases the effectiveness of said glare dramatically. I smiled nicely to her. We both knew she all bark and only some bite. "So, David, well, he doesn't look as good as I usually like 'em, but he sure knows how to kiss! You would do well to practice with him Bella. It's so much better to practice before the big performance." She smiled wickedly at me.

"Just because you enjoy throwing your lips in front of any male at a whim does not mean I need to follow suit." I glared at her. Not only was this a point of contention between the two of us, but I also wanted to figure out my day dream and I childishly felt like she had intruded upon it.

"But that's just what you need! A suitor!" Deb declared. She took a moment to glance at her watch and looked back at me, "come on Bella, let's get back to rehearsal. We don't want to be late."

* * *

I immediately made my way up to my haven, the tech booth, in the back of the theater. I was far too klutzy to be allowed on stage, but did fine working on the sound and light board. It amused me to no end that I hardly ever broke anything even near those boards but can trip and tumble over thin air.

We weren't far enough along in production for us to actually be using the boards yet, but the tech director, Andy, and I were working on the layout for the various equipment and the lighting grid. We also had the costume mistress and stage manager working with us while we were waiting for the director and actors to get beyond the initial script reading.

About thirty minutes into our discussion, I was completely lost within my own world. I was trying to figure out what my day dream meant when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I was surprised because no one ever calls me when I'm at rehearsal. My few friends were here with me, and my mom and Phil were at work. I excused myself and glanced at the number, _unknown,_ before I flipped it open, "hello?" I questioned.

The voice on the other side answered promptly, _'yes, is this Isabella Swan?'_ That made me stand up straighter. No one calls me Isabella.

"Yes, this is. Who are you?" I asked the voice.

There was a pause and then the voice said in a very gentle tone, _'I'm Stephanie, a nurse with the ER at Memorial Hospital'_ She took a deep breath before answering my unasked question,_ 'Isabella, you need to come down here as soon as possible. Your mother and Phil were involved in a car accident."_ I was stunned. How could they have been involved in an accident? The car was in the shop, neither of them would have been able to drive it today. It then occurred to me that you didn't have to be driving to be in an accident. Pedestrians did not fair very well in those cases.

"Are they okay?" I asked in a small voice, even though I already knew the answer to that question. If either one of them was okay they would have been the one making the phone call.

'_I can't say beyond that they were both taken into surgery. We can speak with you in more detail here.'_ That answer was not promising but at least if they were in surgery that meant they were alive.

"Okay," I whispered. "I'll be there soon."

* * *

I sat in the OR waiting room all afternoon, and most of the evening. Every time I glanced at the big clock on the wall, I swore that the batteries needed to be replaced. There's no way time can honestly be moving that slow. Deb stayed for a while, but left shortly after three. I did not want company while I kept my vigil and she understood that.

Instead, I waited in silence.

And I waited.

And I continued to wait.

It was after seven when someone finally called out for me. I stood from my chair slowly, silently dreading news I was about to hear. I followed the person in blue that had called for me. I did not know where the blue person led me, only that there was a couch, a few chairs and a coffee table in it. I was led to the couch.

"Isabella, my name is Janice. I am a social worker with the hospital." The person in blue began. I looked up then, to see her. She was an older woman in her late forties or early fifties, a little overweight, with curly salt and pepper hair and light brown eyes that were brimming over with moisture. "We're going to be joined by Dr. Montgomery in a few moments, okay?" I nodded numbly though I didn't know why she was asking my permission. I did not think it was a good thing if a doctor had to come in to talk with me.

A few moments later, a woman in green scrubs and a blue scrub hat carefully walked in and closed the door to the small room. She looked at Janice who seemed to give her a very short nod before Dr. Montgomery sat down across from me. "Isabella?" she asked in what sounded to be a careful voice. I nodded again and she continued.

"Isabella, there is no good way to say this," She took a deep breath before she continued with what _this_ was. "Your mother Renee and her husband Phil, your step-father, did not make it through surgery. We were unable to control the bleeding before their bodies started to shut down. I'm sorry Isabella, they have both passed away." She was looking me in the eyes and I could see how distraught she was and how sorry she felt for me. All I could do was stare through her. I heard her saying it over and over again in my head; _they have both passed away, they have both passed away, they have both passed away._ After a few moments it turned to; _they are both dead. They left me alone. They are both dead. They left me alone._

Dr. Montgomery recognized the look in my face as panic. I felt like my eyes had frozen open, I could not make my jaw open or close and I felt like I couldn't breathe though I could hear my ragged gasps. I think I may have been crying too, but I was not able to feel the moisture on my face if that was so. Some part of my brain was able to analyze all of my reactions and determined that I was indeed starting to have a panic attack.

She looked over towards Janice as if beseeching her to take over. Janice took my hands and pulled me into her warm and awkward embrace. She just let me cry on her shoulder without saying a word. After I had cried all the tears my body could possibly force out of me, she still held me. She began to tell me what was going to happen to me now that my mother and step-father were gone.

Since my father, mother and step-father had all passed away, I was going to have to move in with someone else. My father and mother had already had it put in their wills that I could choose to stay in Phoenix or move back to Forks. Phoenix was going to be too much for me. There were too many memories. Janice had already been in contact with a family in Forks that I could stay with if that was my choice. The family already had five adopted children, but had said they would be able to house me for as long as I wanted to be there. They had deeply respected Charlie and wanted to help out however they could.

I was going to move to Forks.

**And that's the end of chapter 1. Please hit the big review button on the bottom of your screen and leave me anything - flames, cookies, apples, criticizm, whatever. It is all accepted, though warn me before the flames so I can put on flame retardant gloves before handling. :-) Thank you!  
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	2. Chapter 2 Saving Bella

**A/N - I really want to thank everyone that took their time to read, review and add alerts. It made me really excited to get such positive feedback from so many people! You all deserve lots of internet cookies! I hope you will enjoy the next chapter in the story which has the Cullens and Bella both in it! Fun times. Please let me know if I need to tweek with the characters a bit - Bella is easy for me, but the others are going to be more challenging. And now I will let you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer - All the great characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, I just play with them a bit.  
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**Alice's POV**

I always get annoyed when my sight is interrupted by one of my visions. Especially when I am doing something that required attention to details like painting my nails. It was always so difficult to manage it without interruption, even with foresight to tell me when the most opportune times would be. In the case of this particular vision I was greatly annoyed. What in the world could be so important about one particular human that she was showing up in my visions without me or any of my family having met her?

I tried to push her out of my head, but the vision kept forcing itself upon my sight to the point that I could not longer ignore it. With a sigh I carefully closed the nail polish container, set it aside and then gave my full attention to the damn human's future. What I saw flash before my eyes astonished me –

_The girl stood in front of two gravestones, the dirt before her had not settled for even a day. She was mourning, her loss clearly evident upon her face and in her body language. The dates on the headstones were from today._

A brief flash of light followed by an even briefer moment of darkness and another vision opened up before me –

_The same girl falling down a flight of stairs in a home somewhere, her eyes dull and staring straight ahead by the time she comes to a halt at the bottom._

Another flash –

_The girl crossing the street and being hit by a car. A close inspection of her face following the impact shows her eyes staring lifeless again._

I knew that was not the last I would see of her, but I hoped beyond hope it was. Another flash and I groaned –

_Edward hovering just above her, eyes black and flat as coal, "I'm sorry" he whispers before his lips and teeth touch her skin._

I think I was whimpering now. I could feel my family's concern when they heard me. They would be coming up to see what was wrong soon. The visions did not care what I was feeling – Flash –

_The girl was standing in the cafeteria staring at the blood dripping from the jagged cut in her hand. My Jasper was struggling against Emmett who had him in a great bear hug, while Rosalie and I were holding back Edward and ourselves as well. Jasper managed to open enough of a gap in Emmett's grip to escape and he bee-lined for the girl… she was dead before the rest of the children in the cafeteria knew what was happening. Her eyes lifeless again._

"No, no, no, no," I was chanting out loud. I did not want to see anymore of this girl's death. Every vision had been laced with more grief for me and my family than should be felt by the loss of this one insignificant life. Her very significant life greatly concerned my family, I corrected myself. That was what my visions were showing me. And now my family was hovering in my doorway. I could sense them there, but I was no longer on the present. My entire being was focused on the visions before my eyes. - Another flash –

_She was lying in a hospital bed, tubes and wires hanging all about her, her breathing shallow and her heart weak. Carlisle was speaking to another adult, "we have not been able to determine what it is. I do not think we have time left to find out." A few moments pass and her heart skips a few beats, flutters to life and then falters again. It does not start back up._

Another flash followed swiftly by another and another… All my visions were of this one girl dying before us or because of us; More of Jasper and Edward, one of Emmett and even Esme ending her life. More cars, accidents, drowning, suicides… This girl, her name was Isabella Swan according to several of my visions, was fated to die. And every time it somehow managed to tear my family apart.

Some part of my mind was desperately trying to find a solution to her puzzle while the rest stared in terror at every new tragedy that would happen to her. Some of the pieces began to click – the graves meant she lost her parents though those graves had not been in the Pacific Northwest. So she would be moving here. As an orphan or foster child then. The men and women that acted as guardians were not her biological parents and showed varying levels of concern for her. There had to be a reason why I was being tortured in this way. I hissed at a particularly violent death from another human's hand. She would need a family to live with, there weren't many foster parents in Forks.

What if Carlisle and Esme took her in?

As soon as the thought crossed my mind another vision filled my head –

_The girl standing in our doorway, a year from now, a few suitcases packed at the front door. "I'll come and visit every weekend Esme. I won't be that far away, it's only Seattle." She hugged Esme and Carlisle and carried her belongings to a car I did not recognize. I ran out the door at inhuman speed and jumped in the passenger seat. The car pulled away and we drove out of Forks._

I could still feel the other possibilities shifting at the edges of my vision, but that one vision gave me hope that I could do something to save her. None of the other visions had her living past New Years day. This one had her leaving for college next year. And there was no tearing apart of my family, it was still whole at the close of that vision.

I opened my eyes to the present world and was now able to smile. I turned to the door of my bedroom and was not surprised by the worried expressions upon my family's faces.

I laughed. I couldn't help it. I was just so excited. We were going to be getting a new sister and she was gorgeous and everyone would love her and she wouldn't have to die. I liked that last part the best. After seeing her die so many times in my head, I could not stand the thought of actually seeing her dead staring eyes in the present. But that was enough of negative thoughts – I'm getting a sister! "So do you all want to talk in my doorway or are we going to talk in a more comfortable setting?" I pestered them and began to shoo them all out of my room and to the living room downstairs. Edward gave me an exasperated look, my thoughts were still jumbled and he was upset that he could not read them clearly.

Before Jasper could follow suit, I snagged him about the waist, "I know you're worried," I whispered into his back. "But don't worry Jazz, I'm perfect, and we'll be fine and most important right now, she'll be fine." Jasper gave me a look that said 'I don't have a clue what you are talking about, but okay.' He added a shrug just for good measure. I laughed, full of chimes and silver bells. I loved my husband for that very reason. He never questioned me when he knew he would get an answer soon. He was always so patient with me.

When Jasper and I caught up with the rest of the family, we sat in our usual place on the couch. They were all looking at me expectantly, so I started without preamble. I told my family everything I had seen, painting some of the images quite graphically, but barely touching upon others. Edward was privy the unabridged versions and his shudders told my story for me as much as my words did.

Edward was stoic and unflappable in most situations. Annoyingly so. If he was being affected by what he saw in my head that much, then we needed to act. I finished my story with the question that had been burning in my mind from the moment I had wondered whether Esme and Carlisle would be willing to become foster parents. "Can we find a spot for her here, with us, to keep her safe? She'll be my best friend" _and sister too,_ "I think," I asked. It was directed towards my mother and father, but I saw all my siblings reactions from the corners of my eyes.

Edward glowered, he knew the question was coming, but did not like it. Rosalie was upset that I would even think of asking that. Emmett appeared thoughtful for a few moments before he began grinning his full blown "evil prank smile" as I had labeled it. Jasper was appalled, and upset, but still trusting my judgment. I did not deserve a man like him, but he made me so happy at that moment with his support. Carlisle and Esme were surprised, but appeared thoughtful. A moment of silence was all that I had to observe my family, because after that moment there was nothing but arguing for and against her being adopted into our family.

Two hours and 23 minutes later, all arguments had been made, all points for and against had been debated and it was decided that we would act as a foster family for Isabella Swan.

* * *

**Bella's POV**

My plane had just landed and was taxiing up to the gate and now every single butterfly that I had ever taken flight in my stomach were all fluttering their wings together. The panic was starting to set in again, but I couldn't let my new foster family's first impression be of me falling apart. I took a few deep, steadying breaths. And then a few more because the first ones really were not all that steadying.

Twenty minutes later I found myself in front of baggage claim trying to spot my bags and my new family all at once. I did not really remember getting off my plane and the walk to baggage claim, but that did not bother me. I had been experiencing that a lot the last week or so. I think it was all due to stress. It is stressful enough that I lost my mother and step-father, but I was moving out of state and in with a family I had never met before. I was leaving my friends, my school and my theater to start out in a new school that never had new students. I was nervous and anxious and overwhelmed. I was unsure how much more stress my poor mind and body would be able to handle. I took another deep breath and focused on my task again.

It did not work out very well as I missed one of my bags and I still had no clue what my new family looked like. I was getting flustered with the entire situation. I felt my bottom lip start to stick out like it always did when I pouted and I flashed to being flustered at the entire situation and frustrated with myself for getting flustered so easily on top of the raw edged grief and guilt that had been my constant companions for the last week. I had to close my eyes and try the deep breaths again. _I wonder when that will stop working?_ I thought to myself since I was trying to use my breathing as a focal point for relaxation. It can't work forever.

I opened my eyes only to be startled by two deep, honey colored iris's framed by perfect eye lashes and topped off with spiky black hair. I couldn't help my reaction; I screamed and stumbled backwards only to quite literally fall backwards over one of my bags of luggage. I closed my eyes again and crinkled my face in anticipation of one of my more spectacular falls, but I never hit the ground. Instead, a pair of cold, but strong hands had caught me by the waist and was now standing me back upright.

I quickly, but carefully, turned to thank my rescuer, but before I could say the words 'thank you' I was stunned by the man before me. He was easily the most gorgeous person I had seen. Ever. Most of the women I had met could not compare to his beauty. He had the most unique color of hair – bronze – and the same honey colored eyes as the ones that had caused me to trip in the first place. They were alight with amusement. Amusement at my expense. And I was staring at him like I had never seen a human before. I could feel my blush creep past my cheeks and up to my hair in true Bella fashion. I ducked my head down to hide my blush and to keep me from continued ogling of the Greek god before me.

I heard a tinkling laugh from nearby and looked back to the owner of the honey eyes and black hair. She was tiny! I don't think she would have reached 5 feet without the heels she was wearing, and even then she was still much shorter than my own 5'5". She was somehow able to bounce up and down on her toes despite the heels. She even managed not to look like a child when doing it. _How…?_ I shook my head quickly to try to clear my thoughts. How she was able to do all that was not important. The important thing was to figure out what in the world was going on.

"Umm, can I help you?" I asked and then bit my bottom lip. I hated being the first to start a conversation, but since neither Mr. Greek god nor Ms. Sprite had done more than giggle or smile at my expense, I had to do something. Ms. Sprite just laughed while nodding her head, apparently unable to speak coherently at the moment.

I turned instead to Mr. Greek god, but he was laughing too. It was deeper, gentler, and seemed more precious for some reason. I shook my head again and waited for someone to say something. They both looked at each other and grinned, finally Ms. Sprite managed to tell me her name, "I'm Alice Cullen and this is my brother Edward." I gasped at hearing 'Cullen'; they were the one's I was waiting for. My look of recognition quickly turned to one of confusion. I had thought Carlisle and Esme would be meeting me, not two of their teenage children. Alice answered my unspoken question the moment I thought of it, "Carlisle and Esme are finishing up a few last minute things for your arrival. They'll meet us at the house. In the mean time, you are just going to have to tell me all about you! I really, really want us to be best friends Bella!"

I tried to show her that I was at least somewhat interested with a nod and a shrug, though I don't think I was very successful. Rather than hopeful, I was taken back by the onslaught of her answer. Especially her last thought. I was unsure how much I wanted to be friends with anyone, so much as one of my foster siblings when a fight could turn disastrous for me. I was still trying to work out what I was going to do with my life now that it had been so thoroughly torn apart and she wanted me to be her best friend already? I could tell this was going to be a rough few weeks before I got myself sorted out.

Edward had somehow managed to find my other bags while I was talking with Alice. They helped me with my five bags of luggage and led me out to Edward's car. Five bags may sound like a bit much to take on an airplane, but all my belongings were stored in those bags. I had not packed or shipped anything else. I was moving to avoid the memories of my family in Phoenix so I did not think it would be wise to bring all sorts of reminders with me to Forks.

After a thirty five minute drive in Edward's new and shiny Volvo, we were unpacking my stuff in front of a big white house. Edward had seemed incredibly tense the entire drive to his home, and I am pretty sure that he had to have been going at least 110 miles an hour! Alice was chatting with me at 100 miles a minute about the shopping around here, school and the goings on of the family and in Forks. I listened with only half an ear, taking the time to rest my head against the cool window and focused only on the greenery flashing past my vision. I managed to nod and mumble "uh huh," "really?" and "okay," in all the right places to make sure she knew I was at least half way listening. I was still trying to make my good first impression after all.

I brought myself back to the present and the white house. I started chanting t_his is going to work out, we will all get along_, in my head and took a few steadying breaths. I looked over at Alice and nodded, indicating I was ready to go in. I followed her as she danced up the stairs to the porch and in to the house to meet my new family.

**A/N - ****Thank you for reading. ****Again, please review! I cannot get better unless I have an idea of what to work on and I want to make sure that I am at top form just for you.**


	3. Chapter 3 Another Family

**A/N - Thank you all for your wonderful feedback! It's been great to read everyone's thoughts and questions. It's pleasantly surprising to have people pay enough attention to come up with some of the questions that you have been. I am planning on answering just about all of them in the course of the story, I just ask that you be patient. Most story lines build up to revealing information and that is what I am planning on doing as well. Of course, having people ask questions or let me know what they think encourages me to continue writing. **

**I must admit, I'm really nervous about how this turned out. I am unsure about Edward's POV and I don't think I have a great grasp on Esme's character, but she was dying to tell what she saw. Please, please, please tell me what you think and any suggestions you have. Did I mention please? I'll try to think up a fun reward for you if you do...  
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**Disclaimer - All the great characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with them.**

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**Edward's POV**

I was standing in the airport waiting for 'Bella' to show up with Alice, my ex-favorite sister. She knew that I did not want to be involved in this fiasco any more than absolutely necessary. Was it not bad enough that a human was going to be living with us, that we were going to have to keep up our charade even in the sanctuary that used to be our home? Alice was out to make us all miserable, but I felt like she was targeting me in particular. Why else would she start thinking 'my new sister this' and 'my best friend that' when she knew I was around. Damn pixie.

Alice had talked me into doing this with her, coming to pick up Bella alone. She just said something about needing to get this over and done with in public and then she blocked any further thoughts from me. She had become very practiced at it and was keeping me from even getting the barest glimmer of what she was seeing. As it was, I had seen all of the visions that sparked her decision to protect Bella, so I really did not understand why she felt the need to continue to hide anything new. Nothing could be worse than seeing just how vehemently fate was out to get her. Why our presence was going to make a difference, I did not have a clue, but there it was.

I was startled out of my reverie by a sharp intake of breath from Alice and glanced at her and saw a new vision playing that she couldn't keep from me. It was of me attacking Bella right here in the airport. The only warning I had from the vision was a mumble "smells so _good,_" from myself. I immediately stopped breathing, but that last breath held just the barest hint of the most delicious scent I had ever had the pleasure of smelling. It was made up of sweet freesia and hints of lilacs and even imitation strawberry.

Alice looked at me and said too quickly for the humans nearby to hear, "you may as well try to get used to it now while we're so far away. You'll need to learn how to keep your control." I huffed at her thinking it was very odd to have her tell me to get used to that smell. It was too delicious to get used to.

It was then that I noticed a girl slowly walking up to one of the baggage claim circles. She was about 5'5", dark mahogany hair and pale skin, almost as pale as my own. I couldn't see her eyes because she was looking down at the ground as she shuffled forward, but recognized her as Bella. I had seen her over and over again in Alice's visions and would be able to recognize her just about anywhere. I took an exploratory breath and realized that tempting and tantalizing scent was from none other than my foster sister. I groaned out loud and growled at Alice. She had known this was going to happen. She knew I was going to want to drink from Bella and she had never once mentioned it to give me any warning. _Is it because she knows you would have never agreed to this then?_ A little voice that must have been my conscious asked me. The answer was most definitely yes, and I decided that Alice was going to pay for this later if Bella did not end up paying for it now.

"If you knew this was going to happen, what is the use of trying to protect her from fate if you are guiding her directly towards part of that fate?" I whispered harshly. I hated the thought that this wisp of a girl could ruin me and my family, but that was exactly what was going to happen. I just did not understand why Alice could not see it, psychic visions or no.

"Edward, she _will_ die if we don't do something. She _may not_ die if we do something. We are doing something by bringing her into our home. But we've already gone over all those arguments. Can't you just trust me?" Alice finally begged. She begged! Alice, my annoying, psychic, but naïve little sister was begging me on behalf of this girl. It was a bit too hard to stomach that thought at the moment, so I opted to just nod to let her know that I was thinking about it. She understood, but hyper-happy Alice reappeared with that reassurance.

"She's going to trip on her luggage when she sees me, be ready to catch her and try to hold your breath, Edward." Alice warned me as we walked up to her at human pace.

She had just closed her eyes and appeared to be concentrating really hard on something, with her face all scrunched up. It would have been cute if I hadn't been so frustrated with her prior to that little action. Of course, that would have required me to meet her before she was going to interrupt my life and when I could hold my breath. So, I guess there would never have been a moment when I would not be frustrated with her. That almost made me sigh, but I needed to keep the breath I was holding just in case I needed to talk.

God this was annoying.

Just as Alice had seen, as soon as Bella opened her eyes she startled, took a step back and started to fall. She scrunched her face up again and tensed up her body, anticipating the ground and her backside to meet abruptly. Instead, I caught her and stood her back up right. She felt good to hold onto. It had been so long since I had touched a human. I almost wanted her to fall again so I could be there to catch her. I did not like the way my thoughts were going and glared at Alice over Bella's head. This was all _her_ fault. She just stuck her tongue out at me, acting like the child that she still was at heart.

The girl I had just caught turned around and opened her mouth to say something, 'thank you' I would assume, but nothing came out. Her eyes opened wide and she just stared at me. I was used to this and waited to hear her stuttering thoughts. There was nothing. It was like she wasn't there.

She was still staring at me and I had seen that glazed over look in other women's faces, but there were _always_ thoughts accompanying it, even if they were incoherent. But from her, I got absolutely nothing, even if I concentrated hard on hearing her. I had never had to concentrate on anyone before; I had just always been able to hear their thoughts.

I was about to ask what the hell was wrong with her when Alice shot me a quick glance and started to giggle. That was enough to pull Bella from her stupor and she looked back at Alice, confused.

_Edward, laugh!_ Alice commanded. I rolled my eyes and started to quietly laugh. It only took a few moments before I saw why. Bella looked between us, "Umm, can I help you?" she asked and bit her bottom lip. Again, it would have been cute if I wasn't so annoyed. Alice saved me from having to answer by laughing which means I could continue to hold my breath. Why does she have to make it so hard for me to be upset with her? I looked at her and smiled to let her see my appreciation. I think Bella took it as us laughing at her expense. Not that I could tell what her thoughts were. As far as her mind was concerned, she may as well have been a wall.

"I'm Alice Cullen and this is my brother Edward." Bella gasped, at least she knew who we were now.

I was running out of air and still didn't trust myself to take a breath so close to her, so I went in search of her other luggage. Alice had seen what it looked like already, so it was not difficult. I continued to listen to her as I grabbed the last bag and took a breath of somewhat Bella-free air. I could feel the burn in my throat increase to a nearly intolerable level, and I was some 50 feet from her and right beneath part of the ventilation system. How she was going to survive the car ride was beyond me at this moment.

"Carlisle and Esme are finishing up a few last minute things for your arrival. They'll meet us at the house. In the mean time, you are just going to have to tell me all about you! I really, really want us to be best friends Bella!" I just rolled my eyes at her as I came back up with the bag. There were only four others in front of Bella, but she didn't say anything about waiting for any other belongings. I picked up three and Alice and Bella each took one and we escorted her out to my car.

The drive home was excruciating. Bella sat in the back, so close and smelling so unbelievably delicious, while Alice sat up front with me and talked at her. I could tell Bella wasn't really listening as Alice droned on and I knew Alice was aware as well, but she was too excited to care. She had her little sister, and she wanted her little sister to be happy.

I would have rolled my eyes, but it took everything I had to be able to take only the smallest of controlled breaths at timed intervals without killing her. The bloodlust was getting stronger with each breath. Only two things stopped me; I did not want to betray myself and my family, and I had seen her die too many times in Alice's visions to want to be a part of it. Alice was right, I had to get used to Bella's scent and just get on with it.

After what felt like hours, we finally reached the house and I escaped from the car as quick as I could. I unloaded her bags and since her eyes were closed raced in the house at vampire speed.

I had to put as much distance between myself and her as possible.

* * *

**Esme's POV**

The entire family was waiting for Bella to arrive. I don't think any of us could manage patience and continued to glance at watches, pick at clothing, pace or flip through the channels on the TV fast enough that the receiver couldn't keep up. When I found myself glancing at the clock for the fifth time in two minutes, I knew we had to do something before we started to lose what bit of control we had managed to hang onto.

"All right," I clapped my hands together lightly to make sure I had everyone's attention. "We are not going to just sit here until they get home." I got a few odd looks from all but Jasper. He just looked at me thankfully. Whatever we were feeling, he was getting four-fold. I'm surprised he was only pacing not trying to tear out his hair. "We are going to take a run around the property until we hear Edward's car. Am I clear?" I saw Emmett smile wide and punch Jasper in the arm, Jasper just shrugged, Rosalie grimaced and Carlisle slipped his arm around my shoulder and kissed me on my cheek lightly.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Esme," he agreed. "You heard your mother. Out." He scolded with a smile on his face.

Emmett of course, made a game of it. He talked Jasper into seeing how long they could run with their eyes closed before they knocked a tree down. I couldn't help but smile at that. Emmett could always make me smile. Rosalie just ran to be doing something.

It was only a bout fifteen minutes and several trees later that we heard Edward's Volvo on the highway. It did not take us long to get back to our positions in the house. Carlisle and I near the door, Rosalie and Emmett on the couch watching television and Jasper reading in one of the chairs.

A few moments passed before Edward rushed in the house with Bella's bags. He looked slightly panicked and my guess about what he was feeling was confirmed after I glanced at a very wide-eyed Jasper. Whatever Edward was feeling, it was strong. I raised an eye brow to ask if he needed to go with Edward or to leave, but all I received was a quick shake of his head. Edward was already starting to control his emotions and would likely be fine.

I sighed. I couldn't help but worry about my youngest son. He was always so removed from the world and from his family. It seemed like there was nothing any of us could do to draw him towards us. Every year he withdrew a little more and became harder to reach or to understand. I was slowly losing my favorite son, and I didn't know what to do to bring him back to me. It pained me deeply to see him so distant. I could suddenly feel my heart lighten and feel soothed. I looked over at Jasper and nodded my thanks to which he shrugged. I smiled a bit wider – Jasper always knew just what was needed and I was never more thankful that Alice and he joined our family than at moments like these, when he showed how much he cared for everyone.

It was at that moment that I heard Bella's foot steps dragging up our porch. They sounded so heavy. _Defeated, _I thought. Alice opened the door and waltzed in the house with a bright smile and went straight to Jasper.

I turned my attention back to Bella and what I saw concerned me. Her skin was so pale, and her clothes hung on her like she had shrunk two sizes since she had bought them. Her hair did not seem to have any shine or luster to it and just hung about her shoulders, there was no life to it. When she looked up to meet Carlisle and I, her eyes were dark, glazed over, and darting around too much, giving her a haunted appearance. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in my arms and soothe her while she cried.

"Bella," Carlisle called out quietly to her, "I am Carlisle and this is Esme. We want to welcome you, and want you to know that whatever you need, we will be here to get it for you, okay?" She just nodded in response. "I want you to meet the rest of the family and then maybe you would like to be shown to your room?" She nodded a bit more vigorously at hearing she would be able to go to her room rather than have to stay with us and try to make small talk. My heart broke a little more for her.

"You've already met Alice, and Edward, but this is their older brother Emmett," he said pointing towards him. He waved at Bella with a grin on his face. He had been looking forward to her staying with us, so I was not surprised by his reception for her. "Beside him is Rosalie, and then next to Alice is Rosalie's twin brother Jasper." Both Rosalie and Jasper had tight smiles and nods for her. Neither of them were happy with her being here, but both were better than Edward, so I could be hopeful that they would come to accept her.

I stepped forward then and held out my hand for Bella to hold, "I'll lead you to your room now, okay?" She looked at my hand for a moment then gently grabbed it while I led her upstairs. Her room was one of the extra studies on the third floor. We had moved some of the shelves, but left the desk and added a large queen sized bed. The walls were painted a gentle blue with a deeper tone for the trim. There was a large closet for her to place her things in, though I knew Alice would end up throwing out most of her clothing and getting her a new wardrobe. I just hoped she would wait a few days or weeks to let Bella get settled in first. After taking a quick look around the room, I showed her the bathroom that was attached to it and where all of the toiletries were. We stayed silent through the short tour. I knew she was going to need time to adjust and she seemed like the sort that appreciated silence rather than small talk.

"We're going to let you get settled. Are you hungry, dear?" I asked her knowing what her answer would be. She did not disappoint me with the hesitant shake of her head that was her answer. I smiled gently, "It's okay Bella, we understand. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. I'll just be downstairs, okay?" She bit her lip and nodded again. She had not raised her eyes to mine except during the introductions downstairs. I couldn't really blame her though. I held back a sigh as I carefully exited her room and heard the gentle click of the door as I closed it.

I made my way back downstairs and my way to Carlisle. I needed him close, I needed to know everything would be okay and he always made the world right when he held me. Closing my eyes I tried to control the grief I felt for Bella and the echo of the grief I felt about the loss of my own child. Her loss reminded me so much of my own. She had lost her father, her mother, and her step-father all in the last two years. She had no family left. I had lost my little baby boy, the only family that I had truly loved and cared for just as suddenly as she had lost hers.

It was only a few moments before I heard the shower start up in her bathroom. I let myself relax that much more into Carlisle's arms. I was going to hope that we could help her to heal just as we had all helped each other to heal.

I had found another family with many children and a loving husband. I just hoped we could be that same healing family for Bella.

**A/N - Please review and let me know what you think. I cannot fix things or make them better unless I know what is broken or needs a tune-up. Also, if you really like something, let me know so I continue to do that. I want to make this _your_ story more than mine. Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4 Starting School

**A/N - First thing first, I'm kind of unhappy with this, but I couldn't get it to sound any better, so you'll just have to deal. On that note, let me know what you like, what you don't like, and any suggestions for writing from differing POVs. Reviews really do make me work faster and try even harder, so please please please let me know what you are thinking. Good or bad, I really don't care since I can learn from both.**

**Second thing - I'm in the middle of moving since the Army has decided they need me to work for them for the next year. I don't know what my schedule is going to look like over the next few weeks so updates may be slower.**

**Random thing - specific thoughts are in italics and there are two ways to spell theater - theater - the physical setting, theatre - the concept, idea or organization aka anything not physical.**

**Disclaimer - The characters belong to none other that Stephanie Meyer, I'm just playing with them.  
**

* * *

**Bella's POV**

I didn't leave the uncomfortable sanctuary that was my room until my stomach began to complain too much for me to ignore. I was thirsty too.

I carefully opened my door and stuck my head out the door to make sure that I wasn't going to run into anyone. I didn't know if I was the only one with a room on the third floor, but I wasn't up to speaking with anyone yet. My eyes felt puffy, and raw from crying so much, I'm sure my face was flushed and had that damp look I always got after crying. I hadn't showered or changed my clothes either, even though I had slept in them at least twice.

It was really dark, but there were still a few lamps on throughout the house to give it an almost romantic ambiance.

The effect was lost on me.

I hadn't noticed the passage of time. I had slept after crying myself to sleep, trying to be too quiet for anyone to hear. Someone, I think it was Esme, had knocked at my door on several different occasions to make sure I really didn't need anything and that I wasn't hungry. I had barely croaked out a "no thank you" each time. Luckily she seemed to understand that I did not want company at this time.

I didn't know exactly where the kitchen was, but I was pretty sure it was near the back of the house. That meant I had two flights of stairs plus several rugs to traverse. If I had been able to, I would have sighed at that. I don't think I had ever had that many obstacles in my way and not tripped. As it was, I was almost hoping I would trip down the stairs and break my neck. At least then I would be able to find some sort of peace.

Rather than focus on my darker thoughts, I shuffled forward and made my way to where I thought the kitchen would be. Luckily for me, I was right. _ I just hope that their taste in food isn't as fancy as their house._

Two bowls of cereal and three glasses of milk later, my stomach was finally satisfied.

I felt a little better now that I had eaten something and had even gotten a little bit of rest. Apparently a week of little to no sleep led to a night or two of exhausted sleep. I got the feeling I would not only notice this trend but get used to it. I'll never get rid of the bags under my eyes.

It was only then that I noticed that the house was quiet. I glanced at the walls to find a clock and noticed that it read 536, though AM or PM, I wasn't sure. It was really dark in the kitchen where the only light was the night light from above the stove. The darkness combined with the quiet in the house led me to believe it must be morning.

That made me wonder what day it was and whether it should matter to me. I remember that I was supposed to start school after the weekend was up, but I hadn't kept track of the days at all. I was pretty sure that I had locked myself in my room for about two days, but did I arrive here in the middle of the week or at the end? I got the feeling that it was Monday and I was going to have to make an appearance at school today.

Maybe I could pretend to be sick. It really wouldn't take that much work since I had been crying so much and was probably dehydrated as well as having a low blood sugar. I didn't do very well with that and had always had to make sure I ate regularly to keep from turning into 'evil Bella' as I had been known to do.

Then I remembered that I had heard Carlisle was a doctor and he would probably be able to see through the façade. I'm pretty sure Esme would understand and let me stay home, but what would be the point. That would just mean I would have to go to school tomorrow and endure it all then.

_May as well go today and get it over with. I'll just take an extra long shower to calm me enough to make it through the morning at least._ I thought to myself as I struggled to make it back up the stairs without meeting the floor. I almost managed it, but near the top I acquired a new bruise on my knee as I slipped and barely managed to keep my hold on the banister to keep it from being worse. It was a pretty loud fall, and I hoped I didn't wake anyone. Rather than wait and see, I hurried up the last part of the stairs and rushed to the confines of my room, more specifically, my shower.

One shower and a second breakfast later, I was downstairs sitting on the couch waiting for Alice, to make her way downstairs. Everyone else had already left with Edward, for which I was grateful. I don't think Edward and Rosalie liked me being here. Jasper seemed uncomfortable too, but at least he tried to be nice. Emmett was the only one out of that bunch that tried to make me feel welcome. Even though he was so intimidating, I mean he is huge, he also seemed to enjoy life and encouraged the people around him to enjoy life too. He'd probably be pretty cool to hang out with if I wasn't such feeling so crappy right now.

Alice brought me out of my thoughts when she bounded down the stairs, grabbed my hand and raced out to her car, a bright yellow thing that just seemed to scream "look at ME!" I suddenly did not like the idea of riding with her, but held back my sigh and stepped in.

The next thing I knew I was walking out from the office and Alice was showing me the way to my first class.

_I did it again._ I thought. I was losing track of time and my memory. Some part of me thought I should be concerned, but I couldn't work my way past just noticing it. I mentally shrugged and just went on putting one foot in front of the other.

Parts of the morning dragged out until I swear I could count my heart beats between each click on the clock that indicated a second had passed. Other parts seemed to jump forward, leaving me with only the vaguest of impressions of what had just happened. If I hadn't known better I would have thought that time was being warped around me. Instead, I knew it was me that was just wrong.

The worst part of the morning was when I was basically cornered by two kids wanting my attention and staring daggers at each other. They seemed to think I should remember from my last years of visiting Forks, but I didn't know them from Adam. Rather than tell them that, I just nodded and smiled hoping they would get the hint. Instead, they took it as an invitation to push harder. Lucky for me, Alice showed up at that time and grabbed my arm to lead me to my next class.

Her touch pulled me from my daze just long enough to realize that her hand was freezing. I hadn't really noticed it this morning when she led me to the car, but I know it was just as cold then. And Esme's hand had been cold when she led me to my room too. Rather than try to figure it out, I figured it was just something to do with living in the cold and damp for so long. My hands would probably be the same a few weeks from now.

It was right before lunch when one of the boys that had cornered me earlier started talking to me again. "So, Isabella, do you wanna come sit at my table for lunch?" He was really excited and I noticed a gleam in his eyes I don't recall seeing before. I didn't really want to do anything more than just go sit down in my next class and wait for everyone else to come in from lunch, but I didn't want to be rude either.

"It's Bella, and umm, I don't know," I fumbled in my brain trying to find his name, "uh, Mike." His answering smile told me I had gotten it right. I'm not feeling too well. I think I just want to go rest and wait for class to start after lunch." He looked so dejected at my response that I had to add, "but maybe sometime later this week, okay?" He perked up immediately and gave me a huge grin. I couldn't give him more than just a slight upturn at the edges of my mouth, but he didn't seem to notice.

"That's great! I'll save you a seat in case you change your mind."

I suddenly got the feeling I was going to regret agreeing to sit with him in the future.

Just as I was turning to leave I saw my new foster family walking up to the cafeteria. I hadn't really seen them when I had been introduced to them and I was awed by what I saw before me now.

They were all just so… beautiful, gorgeous, unreal. I felt that they had to be movie stars and the only reason they were here in Forks was because they were filming a movie here. I knew that wasn't true, but it was the only reasonable explanation I could come up with for them being here.

I felt so insignificant next to them, I can't even imagine how I must look when I stand next to them.

Especially since I was blushing so bright red right now. I looked down at the tiled floor to hide my embarrassment and took the opportunity to step to the side and let them pass.

"So are you going to come sit with us, Bella?" Emmett asked when he stopped just in front of me. I couldn't help but look up at him, astonished. He had barely said anything to me earlier this morning. Even though he and Alice were the _only_ ones that said anything to me this morning, though I think it was out of pity rather than true concern. I didn't know if I wanted to sit with all of them at lunch, but the look Emmett gave me said I was going whether I wanted to or not.

"I, um, well," I stuttered before I could draw my thoughts together into cohesion. "I wasn't really planning on eating lunch." I finally managed. I was blushing so bad that I could feel the heat up to my hair line.

"Nonsense! You need to eat!" He told me quite loudly. I just shrugged. He took that as an agreement and was apparently waiting for me to start walking back towards the cafeteria.

I turned around and was startled to see four other set of golden eyes looking back at me. I felt like I was going to develop a permanent blush from the constant embarrassment. I tried to smile to let them know I was okay, but it came up as more of a grimace I think. With that, they turned back around and started walking. I felt like I was being escorted, like I had done something wrong and would not be given the opportunity to get away.

As we walked in, I felt like every set of eyes was on me, and all I wanted to do was melt into the floor and just stay there. I intentionally avoided looking at the table that Mike was sitting at. I'm sure he was glaring at me and I didn't want to see it.

Then the whispers started. I almost bolted right then and there, but Emmett took the opportunity to nudge me forward instead.

I managed to shuffle through the lunch line, but did not feel like would be able to eat much, so I just grabbed an apple and a lemonade. I could hear Alice mumble something and Emmett answer her, though what it was about, I couldn't tell.

We all sat down at a table away from everyone else. I had my back to the rest of the school. I really didn't want to see the stares and glares associated with the whispers and snide remarks I was trying so hard to block out.

"How's your first day of school going, Bella?" Emmett asked me after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. I got the feeling I was really going to like Emmett.

* * *

**Emmett's POV**

"Don't push her too hard to talk, she'll start it on her own if you let her." Alice whispered to me while we were in line to grab some grub.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." I told her with more than a bit of sarcasm. I can pay attention. I just usually choose not to.

Bella looked so uncomfortable when we got to our table. I could tell that my siblings were just as unsure of what to say or do. Even Alice. That was weird.

I decided someone had to say something, and since no one else was stepping up to the plate, it was up to me. I didn't mind. She blushed so easily, I knew I was going to get a good one or two. I smiled at the thought. Edward glared at me, but I decided to ignore him. What did he care?

"How's your first day of school going, Bella?" I decided to start with something easy.

"Well, it's different." She shrugged. "I don't know anyone, but they all seem to know me, or at least who I am. It's creepy." She scrunched her face up and shook her head at that. "And I've already covered all the material in my classes. It's going to be so boring." She shrugged. I couldn't understand why she thought she would be bored. If she already covered the material, then she would have more time to do fun stuff. I voiced my opinion on the matter.

"If you spend all your time doing school work, then you don't get to have fun. What would you do with yourself?" I asked.

She tilted her head off to the side, "well, I like to read. And I draw occasionally. If they have a theatre program here, I may think about teching for it… Other than that, I don't really do anything." My jaw had dropped in surprise. She was just like Edward! Except for the theatre part. That was so boring. She must have taken my face to mean that I thought she was crazy, which she was, but that was beside the point. "Well, what do _you_ do for fun then?" She shot at me.

"I like to play baseball or football with our family, though some," I tilted my head towards Edward, "don't like to do that unless they get coerced into it by the rest of us." Edward gave us all an indignant look, almost as if he didn't think it was true. Ha! Everyone laughed at him about that. Even Bella. I smiled wide at her. It was nice to get something from her besides sad.

"And if that person is being anti-social, what then?" She asked me, apparently genuinely curious.

"Well, then I play video games or wrestle with Jasper," I was about to add that I enjoyed spending quality time with my wife, preferably without clothes on, but Edward and Alice both kicked me from under the table. I changed my words instantly, "He at least puts his books down for me." I smiled over at him and received a big answering grin. He enjoyed the wrestling just as much as I did even if Esme wouldn't let us really go at it.

"What about the rest of you?" She inquired. My smile grew bigger, she was actually initiating this! One point to Emmett, oh yeah!

"I love going shopping! You are going to _have_ to go with me this weekend. I really must do something about your wardrobe. It's so… Target." Alice managed to make that drip with derision. Bella shivered, but didn't say anything. Maybe I could rescue her from Alice, I'll have to think on that.

Alice was bouncing in her seat again. The only thing keeping her from bouncing around the table was Jasper trying to calm her down. I may not have a talent like he did, but I could tell when he was doing something like that. "Playing baseball with the family is a lot of fun too." She took a moment and I recognized her 'seeing the future' face. "We'll be able to play next week, I think." We all smiled around the table, a baseball game in the future meant fun; even the book worms who claimed to be related to me were looking forward to it.

Bella moved on to Jasper quickly, "I read, play video games, and try to keep that lummox," he pointed me, "out of trouble. Usually I get dragged into the thick of it instead."

I shared a conspiratorial grin with him. We had both been grounded last week when we started to rearrange everyone's rooms rather than just put the new furniture in Bella's room. We hadn't gotten too far because Alice saw what we were doing and stopped us before we could get to her room. Spoil sport.

Just because I was going to move her wardrobe into Carlisle's room gave her no right to screech at me like she had.

"Like what?" Bella asked curiously.

Jasper told her about our little adventure last week. She smiled and actually laughed when he got to the part about Alice threatening my life if I ever tried that again. Of course she wouldn't yell at Jasper. She forgave him right away. Sometimes that whole soul mate connection got in the way of my fun.

Bella laughing gave me the idea that maybe next time she would like to join in. I could get used to having her as a side kick – at least we would both get yelled at together.

Alice hissed. Apparently she had seen the next prank I was planning. I don't even know what it is yet, but I'll have to change it right before I start.

Sometimes it was really annoying living with a mind reader and a psychic. At least Jasper had a useful talent that he could share. And he was willing to take advantage of it which presented me with a challenge. I loved it.

I got another look from Edward before he decided to grace us with his own answer. "I usually listen to music and will sometimes play something on my piano. I'll occasionally get the urge to read something too."

I rolled my eyes at that. Of course he was such a nerd. _Yup, you heard me. You, little brother, are a total nerd._ He decided to ignore me. I couldn't have that. Bella beat me to it.

"So, basically, you really are anti-social?" Bella asked. I think she was disappointed but I couldn't tell. Why anyone would want to spend time with the brooding artist was beyond me.

"No, I'm not anti-social – I just get tired of getting dragged into their pranks and getting grounded by Esme. Or getting yelled at by Alice or Rosalie." He huffed. Apparently she had hit a sore spot. We were definitely going to use that to our advantage.

"Um, what about you Rosalie? What do you, uh, do for fun?" Bella was hesitant to ask Rose her question. Apparently she had picked up on Rose's dislike for her. There went my first idea, Rose did not like it when I messed with her cars.

"I shop with Alice and I work on our cars." She said quickly and then went back to staring at the wall. That was all she was going to say to Bella.

I felt a bit irritated by her lack of welcome. Just because she didn't approve did not give her the right to be so mean to my little sister. Wait, little sister? Yup, Bella had already taken that spot in my heart. Edward gagged. He didn't want her to be around anymore than Rose did. I was going to have to work extra hard to make her feel welcome.

"You mentioned theatre earlier. What do you do?" I asked, if she did anything fun, maybe I would join her. After all, she was such a klutz, someone had to be around to catch her when she fell off the stage or whatever.

"I work in the tech booth and run the lights and sound boards usually. Sometimes I work back stage, but that usually ends up with lots of things breaking. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a pretty bad klutz.

"I hadn't noticed." I lied, how could I tell her that I heard every time she fell or tripped. "I've never done that before. Maybe I'll join you. It could be fun." She gaped at me as did the rest of my family. "What? I'm not allowed to try something new?" I shot at them.

"Um… I guess so… I guess it would be nice to know someone…"

"Great! My next class is English so I'll ask Ms. Morgan about it today." Now that I knew I was doing it, I couldn't help but be excited. I would get to do something new and spend time with Bella. How much better could it get?

Everyone fell into an uncomfortable silence after that. It only lasted a few moments because the warning bell took that moment to ring.

"Bella, I have biology with you next so I will escort you to class if you do not mind." Edward said trying to be polite. She just nodded.

I walked with Jasper to our next class.

"You really do mean to go through with this don't you?" He asked me quietly. I guess he could feel my excitement.

"Yeah, I do. It'll be something new to do. I really should find another hobby for when you have decided you don't want to be out of Alice's good graces. Plus, I'll get to spend time with my little sister. Doesn't get any better than that!" Jasper winced. Whoops, I already called her little sister.

"Your little sister? You already consider her part of the family?" He asked a bit too casually.

"Well, yeah. Alice said she'll be here next year. She's going to need an older brother to watch after her to catch her when she trips. Or when these children decide they are going to try to get into her pants." I glared at the kid walking in front of me at that last thought. I was not going to let any of them even touch her. But that meant I really got to turn on the intimidation and scare them… that could be fun!

After English was done I walked up to Ms. Morgan to ask about the tech thing Bella had talked about. "That would be wonderful! My tech head graduated last year and I don't have anyone to run either board. Please meet me at the theater after school and I'll introduce you both to the tech director." She spoke so quickly I had to wonder if she spent time around another vampire. Whatever, she would help me to make Bella smile again.

"We'll be there," I told her.

* * *

It was after school and I was half leading, half dragging Bella towards the theater. She seemed to be nervous, but I knew she would like Ms. Morgan if only for the fact that she wouldn't have to say much.

"Come on Bella! I really, really wanna try this!" I whined. She shook her head amused by my act and let me just lead her rather than drag her.

"Ms. Morgan! This is Bella. We're ready to pla, uh, work." I didn't think saying 'play' would go over too well with her. That equipment was expensive.

"Don't worry Emmett. We are here to 'play' first and work second." She turned to Bella who turned a bright red at the attention, "Emmett told me you worked in the booth. I could use you to run the lights if you know how." Bella nodded, apparently too embarrassed to talk. "Great! Let's get you both up there and acquainted with the boards and Chris. He's the tech director."

She was leading us up to the back of the theater and then up more stairs into a long room with a lot of wires, boards, lights, microphones and manuals spread out on the walls and all over the tables that were lined up against a long set of windows staring at the stage. It was dark and intimate and I immediately loved it.

Bella apparently loved it too because she was smiling and ran her hand longingly along one of the boards on the tables.

"Bella, if I didn't know any better I would think you were touching your lover." I teased her. I received a big smile.

"I suppose you're right Emmett. This was my first and only love." She waved her hand around the tech booth but was focused on the two boards in front of her.

"That's great! That means you have experience. Tell me what you've done in the past." A man walked in from a door I hadn't noticed yet. I'm assuming this was Chris.

"Uh, yeah, at my old school I ran either the light or sound board. They were in the same series that you have here, just newer. I helped my old director design the lighting scheme and find the sound effects we wanted to use. I know how to hang lights, but I'm so klutzy that you wouldn't want me to even touch one. I also can run the spots, but again, I break things." Wow, that was the longest speech I had heard from her yet. She was starting to relax. This was a great idea. Score another point for Emmett, booya.

We stayed through the rest of the rehearsal and they showed me how to run the sound board since Bella was going to play with the light board. It was actually a lot of fun, I really would get to play. Tomorrow we would start hanging lights, that would be fun to play on the cat walk. I wonder what would happen if I brought Rose up here...

After Chris had left to talk with Ms. Morgan, Bella turned to me, a sparkle in her eye. I recognized that look. Fun was about to ensue.

"You know what led me to really love this?" I shook my head, confused about where this was going. "It's because I can mess with people so much better from here. I have the power to do just about anything and no one really suspects nice, sweet Bella of being able to do anything. And now, I've a fellow prankster to bring it on." We shared a huge smile and I couldn't help but laugh. I knew I liked her for a reason. I just had to get the real Bella to come out and play.

We waited just inside the theater for Alice to pick us up since I hadn't driven to school and shared a comfortable silence.

Alice came into view and I held the door open for her. As she passed through the door she whispered, "Thank you, Emmett."

"Any time, Bella."

**A/N - again, please review! Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you've subscribed to the story or added this story/me to your favorites, I really want to thank you! To both the subscribers and reviewers, thank you! You're all great and really make my day. Have a great day/night and hopefully I will hear from you soon. :-)**


	5. Chapter 5 Questions

**A/N - I really want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story and all those that have added story/author alerts and favorited my story/me. It's really exciting and has encouraged me to try to write more and a little bit faster than I would have otherwise.**

**Note about this chapter - I had to split this into two chapters as it was getting too long for my comfort. I know some of you are used to long chapters, but I've had final papers due for school that are shorter than this by almost 3,000 words! Just know that the next part is more or less written in my head and will just need to be brought to life on the computer. Other than that, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer - None of the characters belong to me, they are all creations of Stephanie Meyer, I am only playing with them.**

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**Bella's POV**

I sat at the table eating by myself tonight. Emmett and I had gotten home too late after the rehearsal to eat dinner with the rest of the family.

I didn't mind, and apparently neither did Emmett. He just grabbed a sandwich and ran up to his room. Actually, he ran up to the room he shared with Rosalie. I had missed that over the weekend. I had also missed that Alice and Jasper were together too.

It made me wonder what else I had missed.

I couldn't help but feel like there was something that I should have paid attention to or that I should have realized. Some part of me was working really hard to try to figure it out, though what 'it' is I couldn't say. The rest of me was still trying to block out the rest of the world. It was going to take a lot more to make me really care about what was going on. I had to give Emmett a lot of credit though. Of all the things that could have broke me free from my inner world that was lacking in color and laughter and smiles it would be getting me into the tech booth.

It was my mom that always made me smile and laugh and see the world through a child's eyes. A child sees the world as it is, not as they wish it could be. That was how I saw the colors and beauty that was the Arizona desert. I could see myself eventually come to appreciate the color and vibrancy that is Forks.

I may even start to smile again. Without Emmett having to do or say something crazy to make me laugh.

I couldn't get over how much he was trying to get me to smile. It was obvious how hard he was trying today to make us talk and to get me involved in something. To the point that he got himself dragged into the world that is a theatre techie.

"What are you thinking Bella?" Edward startled me with his question. He was leaning up against the door jamb, just looking at me.

"Uh, what do… um, what do you mean?" I stuttered. I was too surprised to come with a response. He was initiating a conversation with me and was staring at me so intensely. It was disturbing that someone could seem to stare right into my mind, especially someone that did not make any effort to hide his dislike of me.

"You're staring so intently at your plate that it should have caught fire by now. I was wondering what could have you so focused." He shrugged. "I usually have a good idea of what people are thinking, but you… You I cannot get a read on." He looked away then, which meant I could finally take a breath. "I wonder why that is." He mused to himself, so quietly that I was pretty sure I wasn't meant to hear it.

"I don't know why you have such a problem understanding me. My m, uh, my friends used to call me their open book. Maybe you need to start reading some new stories." I was startled by the word that had almost passed my lips. I hadn't spoken with anyone about my mother. I hadn't even thought about speaking with anyone about her yet, but here I was mentioning her to Edward as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Well, most stories aren't worth the time it would take to read them. Maybe yours will be different." Edward just looked bored, like he didn't believe his own words.

"Well, until you've decided whether I'm worth your time, I'm going to bed. Good night, Edward." I pushed my way past him and tried to stomp up the stairs.

It didn't take more than ten steps for my anger to drain and be replaced by grief. I may not have actually said the word 'mom' to Edward, but I had thought about her, and I wasn't ready for it yet.

I was not ready to realize that the only place I would see her was in my memory. She was my world outside of the theater.

The tears started to flow and my legs started to shake. I couldn't make it up the rest of the stairs and somehow ended up on a step, my back against the wall. As quiet as I tried to be, I knew they all heard my crying, but even the embarrassment didn't slow the tears. I was only alone for a few moments before I felt a presence nearby.

"Oh Bella, you weren't supposed to cry." Edward told me so softly. It just made it that much worse because now he was seeing me falling apart.

I felt his arms wrap around me and then I was pulled from the ground. He carried me up the rest of the stairs and into my room and laid me down on my bed. I felt my blankets pulled up around me and then his hand rubbing my back, trying to soothe me.

I don't know when it happened, but I must have fallen asleep while he was still trying to comfort me.

I woke up disoriented; nothing about the room was familiar. I had to close my eyes and try to remember where I was and why.

I was in my room on the third floor of the Cullen house in Forks, Washington. I was here because my parents had all died and I was now a foster child to the Cullens. Okay, I now knew where and why, now I had to figure out when. I took a glance at the clock on the nightstand. It was 630. Too early to be awake, too late to go back to sleep.

With a sigh I got up and started to get ready for my next day at school.

* * *

Emmett was again pulling me along the buildings after school had gotten out. He had a big, goofy grin plastered on his face as we made our way to the theater.

I got the impression that he was excited about hanging lights today. I smirked at the thought; it was a huge understatement since that seemed to be all he could talk about at lunch today.

I on the other hand was apprehensive. The last time I had helped to hang lights I had fallen off the ladder I was working on. The only reason I had not broken anything was because I was hanging lights on a side bar and was only eight feet off the ground. It was still enough to have left several large bruises and a huge dent upon my ego.

After turning around for the tenth time he finally told me, "Oh come on, Bella! I won't let anything hurt you, not even yourself." I snorted. I couldn't help it. He obviously had not seen me in action during gym.

"I love the vote of confidence. Guess I'll just have to prove you wrong then, now won't I?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm and something else. Determination I think.

"What do you want to bet?" I asked. I had not been paying much attention to my foster family, but I already knew Emmett liked to bet. He had made three with his brothers at lunch alone, and by their resigned looks it was nothing new.

"Oh, someone new to play with" he mused, "Let's see, if I win you will have to help me get back at Alice for the last time she yelled at me and if you win I'll tell you a secret about each member of the family for blackmail use in the future." He sounded so confident that he would win that I had to laugh. No matter what I was going to win.

But I couldn't let him see that there would be some enjoyment in helping him with Alice so I grimaced instead. "That gives me too much. How about just one secret for each time you "save" me."

He looked at me like he was surprised by the barter. "Fair enough Bella. One secret for every save." He stuck out his hand and I shook.

"Now, let's go hang some lights!" He yelled.

He didn't let go of my hand. Instead, he took a tighter hold and pulled me into a fast jog the rest of the way to the theater. I laughed with him, though mine was still more subdued from what it was.

Inside the theater we met with Chris in the tech booth and he went over a quick refresher for me and made me demonstrate how to hang and set the lights. He then started with Emmett but apparently his refresher was better than he thought because Emmett was able to go through everything perfectly.

I pouted. It wasn't fair that Emmett could just watch and know how to do this. It took me three days to get proficient, not 30 minutes.

"Are you sure you've never done this before? I've never seen anyone pick up on it so quickly." Chris questioned Emmett after the third time he went through the entire procedure.

"Nope, never done this. I am really good with my hands though." He winked at me and the way he said that told me it wasn't just with equipment that he was good with.

"Emmett!" I was shocked that he was telling me this. I did not want to know what went on between him and Rosalie. Gross.

"What? I didn't say or do anything wrong. Get your mind out of the gutter little sis." He smiled oh so very innocently at me. I could see right through it, as could Chris who only shook his head

We moved out onto the catwalk where all the lights were already waiting for us just behind the spots Chris had decided they would sit on the bars.

We started with the lights in the middle and worked in silence. I needed all my concentration to keep from dropping the light or myself off the catwalk. Emmett seemed to understand my need for focus and just worked on his own.

Chris directed us from the tech booth for positions and directions for focusing the beams. It took a lot of work and it was really hot. I could feel my shirt start to stick to my back and I had to continuously wipe my hands on my jeans to keep them dry.

Emmett had no problem with the heat. I didn't see a single bead of sweat on his face, nor did his shirt stick like mine had started to. _Why is everything so damn easy for him?_ I started to wonder. That little part of my brain working on the answer to a question that I had not voiced yet filed this information away and started to toy with it and make it fit into the rest of the puzzle.

I ignored that part of my brain and continued to work on the lights. I really did not want to pay for the light or the hospital bills that would surely be associated with a fall.

Emmett and I had gotten four lights each up on the bar in front of us and had moved down about half of the catwalk respectively from our starting point when he got a phone call. I was unable to hear who it was and he didn't say their name. By the time he hung up he was irritated and really on edge. I tried to figure out what could be wrong, but nothing came to mind.

All I knew was that he kept glancing at me. _Did I do something wrong?_ I thought. He was making me nervous enough that my palms were sweating even more and not just from the heat.

I don't know how it happened, but between the extra distraction and my sweaty palms I really did not stand a chance.

I was leaning my body out between the end of the catwalk and the bar I was placing the light on when my hand slipped. I only had time to gasp before my entire body fell forward and I slipped between the bar and the catwalk. My right leg must have gotten caught at an odd angle somehow because I felt it get snagged and then I felt, more than heard, a snap.

I didn't even have time to scream out, whether in surprise or pain before I felt myself fall against something hard and cold. My breath was knocked out of me in a loud and painful whoosh, but that was it. I couldn't open my eyes for fear I would not be in the theater anymore, but somewhere else entirely.

But if I was somewhere else, maybe there was a chance I could be in heaven. My mom was there. That thought was all it took to make me force my eyes open.

All I saw was a swirl of blacks and reds and bright lights. My mom was not here. That was the only thought that passed through my mind before the pain in my leg took precedence. God, it hurt! Heaven would not include pain, so I must still be alive. Somehow.

I heard someone moaning with sniffling punctuating the silence that had engulfed wherever I was.

I tried to move my arms and left leg to see if those were all intact. Much to my surprise they were. I shifted my head to make sure that it was okay as well. With that shifting came my hearing.

"Bella! Bella! Answer me damn you! Bella!" A man, I think I knew him, was yelling at me. Behind his voice I could hear the alarm and shrieks that often accompanied my more spectacular falls.

"I'm here. Please stop yelling." I managed to say through my gritted teeth. "My leg hurts. Really bad."

"That's because it's hurt really bad." He said matter-of-factly. His tone brought his name to the front of my brain. Edward. His name was Edward and he was one of my foster brothers. I thought he didn't like me. So what is he doing here saving my life?

"Emmett, take her to the ER, you can use my car. I'll call Carlisle." He said quickly. I felt myself being shifted into Emmett's cold arms and as careful as they tried to be, my leg was still jostled, shooting new spears of pain through my entire body. I gasped loudly and I felt both Edward and Emmett cringe from hearing my involuntary reaction to the pain. _So much for telling them I'm alright. They'll never believe me._

What seemed like moments later, I was in the ER at the hospital and a nurse was taking my blood pressure, pulse and temperature. She gave me some pain pills to help with the pain from my leg. She started asking a lot of questions about how I fell and my medical history.

I told her what I could remember about the fall, though I fibbed a bit about how easily Edward had caught me since I knew that he had done something impossible. Plus, I needed to explain the budding bruises where I had fallen into his arms.

Then it was off to x-rays and speaking with a lot of doctors. Without telling me what was going on, they rolled me into a small room and an anesthesiologist started talking to me about going to sleep for surgery. The word 'surgery' started a panic attack, but that was when Carlisle walked into the room wearing green scrubs rather than his usual slacks and dress shirt.

"Bella, I know this is scary sweetie, but your leg is broken too bad for us to be able to just cast over until it heals. There are two pieces of bone that are floating in your leg. In order for it to set right, I have to pin them back into place." He placed his cold hand on my shoulder, "There are always risks with surgery Bella, but I will do everything within my power to make sure that you will wake up and your leg will be better, okay?"

I took a few moments to think about this. It took me longer than usual because the pain pills made my brain work slower than usual.

I had to have the surgery if I wanted my leg to heal, but there was a chance I could die. Wait, he said he needed to do all that stuff. "You will be the one doing the surgery?" I verified and he nodded solemnly. I suddenly thought of one other thing I could ask him, but I wanted to make sure it was okay. "Can I make a request first?" I asked timidly. He looked at me with caution, but nodded again.

"After the surgery, can you tell me why you are all so cold and how Edward could save me and why you decided to bring me into your home?" I knew it was not something he would want to answer, but I had to try.

He took a hard look at me before answering, "Yes Bella, we will." He finally answered. He added before I could say anything, "After you get home and can recover some." I nodded as meekly as I could.

"Good. Now, let's get you ready, I'm sure you are eager to get back home and have your questions answered."

* * *

**Edward's POV**

The light sounds of Debussy floated around my room, but today it was not working to soothe my anxious mind.

All I could think about was Bella and why she was crying last night. I replayed the evening in my mind; the answer had to be there somewhere.

I remember that I had been confronted by Alice after I came back from hunting with Jasper about Bella. "You need to talk to her Edward. She thinks you hate her as much as Rosalie does."

"You know it's not like that. I just can't risk being around her. If I were to do anything, I would never forgive myself." I tried to convince her and myself that was all. I knew that I was uncomfortable around Bella, but it was more than just the blood lust that engulfed me when she was around.

"Just do it, okay? It would be good for both of you."

So I had tried to follow her advice. Rather than make things better, it only made them mores confusing.

I waited until the rest of my family was otherwise occupied before I tried to talk to her. She was in the kitchen, and even though I had gotten somewhat used to her intoxicating smell just from the lingering remnants in the house, being close to her made it that much harder to ignore.

I stayed in the doorway watching her absent-mindedly eat her food while she was thinking about something. I strained to hear anything from her, but her mind was still as closed to me as ever. _What makes her so different?_ I wondered. Not knowing what she was thinking was really starting to get to me, I needed to know.

"What are you thinking Bella?" I asked her. I still had not moved from the doorway where it was safest for her.

"Uh, what do… um, what do you mean?" She stuttered. I guess I had caught her off guard.

"You're staring so intently at your plate that it should have caught fire by now. I was wondering what could have you so focused." _ And it's driving me crazy that you are the only person I can't hear_, I added in my head. "I usually have a good idea of what people are thinking, but you… You I cannot get a read on." I looked away from her, not wanting her to see my confusion and frustration. _I wonder why that is._ I mused. I must have muttered it out loud because she glanced at me like she was unsure what I meant. I suppressed a sigh and was happy that I had great control over my expressions.

"I don't know why you have such a problem understanding me. My m, uh, my friends used to call me their open book. Maybe you need to start reading some new stories." She corrected what she was going to say, though I couldn't catch enough to know what the original word was.

"Well, most stories aren't worth the time it would take to read them. Maybe yours will be different." She had surprised me with her book analogy, I hadn't been prepared for it and my offhand response demonstrated that.

"Well, until you've decided whether I'm worth your time, I'm going to bed. Good night, Edward." She was angry with me. Now she thought I did not like her and that I thought she was just like every other teenage girl. It was too bad that she had both those wrong, but I don't think I would be able to show her that. She had closed herself off to me in more than just her mind.

She stormed out of the kitchen right past me. Her scent wafted around me and momentarily stunned me. It took all I had to keep from taking her right then and there, in my own home with my family in the rooms just above us

Then I heard a sound that stopped those thoughts in their tracks. It was Bella crying, and nearby, not in her room.

I followed the sound and found her curled up in a ball on the stairs. She was hugging her arms around her chest like she was trying to hold it together, and had her head on her knees. She was so vulnerable at that moment, so in need of protection that the creature within me that craved her blood was ignored.

"Oh Bella, you weren't supposed to cry." I told her softly as I picked her up. She should not be here on the stairs where anyone could wander down and see her. I don't know how I knew that she would not like to have everyone see her like this, but there it was. She would not want me to see her like this either, but I would try to help her as best I could.

I carried her to her room and placed her gently on her bed. I then pulled her covers up and crawled up on the bed behind her. I just sat there weaving figure eights on her back, wishing I could do more, but unsure what she would let me do. I knew that my presence at least seemed to help a little when I noticed her sobbing was becoming quieter and the tears were not flowing quite as freely.

Some unknown time later she was fast asleep. The transition was so slow that even I was unsure when she had finally given in to her body's needs. I sat there longer still. Her scent made my throat burn as it never had before, but how could I even think of drinking from this innocent woman before me? I wanted to be here in case she started to have nightmares. The human part of me thought that perhaps I could soothe her and keep them away.

But here I sat a day later and no closer to figuring out what if anything I could have done to help her. Now that she was no longer in front of me, I began to get irritated with how much she had forced herself into the forefront of my thoughts.

I tried to focus on Debussy again. I almost got to the state of mind where only the music mattered, but my phone chose that moment to ring.

I glared at the name – Alice – before I answered.

"This had better be good." I answered gruffly.

"Edward, you need to drive to the school right now. Bella is going to fall in the theater and you need to catch her. Emmett won't be able to do it without hurting her more."

I had not realized that I was moving until I was already in the car racing down the driveway.

"How much time do I have Alice?" I asked.

"About five minutes Edward. Now go, I need to call Emmett!"

Four and a half minutes later I left my engine running and ran at full vampire speed to the theater entrance. I had barely opened the door when I heard her gasp of surprise and a sharp snap that I hoped beyond hope was not related.

Without thinking I ran between the seats and just before she would have broken her back on the chair backs, I caught her in my arms and pressed her against my body. I felt a strong need to pull her as close as I could.

"Bella! Bella! Come on, answer me!" I told her. I got no response from her, and her face was turned away from me so I couldn't tell if she was just dazed or more severely injured.

"Bella! Bella damn it answer me! Bella!" She turned her face towards me and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. She even managed to talk, though I could tell she was in a lot of pain as she struggled to force the words out.

"I'm here. Please stop yelling." Well, that sounded like Bella at least. "My leg hurts. Really bad." I looked her up and down and saw the way her right leg bent at an unnatural angle below her knee.

"That's because it's hurt really bad." I gritted my teeth. She was hurting again, and I could not do anything about it. _Why do I want to do something about it?_ Some part of my brain wondered.

"Emmett, take her to the ER, you can use my car. I'll call Carlisle." I knew I was going to have to come up with a cover story and could do it better than Emmett. Not to mention I could smell her blood pooling in her leg and it smelled so appetizing, she did not just need to go to the hospital, she needed to be away from me.

I called Carlisle and told him as quickly as I could what had happened. I then told the humans some lie, though what it was I could not say. I was too distracted by my worried thoughts of Bella. _Why is she the only thing I can think of?_ It was driving me crazy.

Emmett came back to pick me up after he had dropped Bella off and had been chased off by Carlisle, but only after he had been told of Bella's request.

She wanted to know what was so different about us. She was going to get all her questions answered.

Come this time tomorrow she would know that we were vampires. I could only pray to whatever god my listen to my prayers that she would do the smart thing and run screaming from us. Before it got her killed.

* * *

**A/N - And that be the end of this chapter. Just remember that the next should be coming out soon. I have noticed that I start working on the next chapter after I start getting some reviews, so to encourage me to work that much harder, tell me what you think. Tell me what you like and don't like or just to say that you like or dislike the story. If you dislike it, tell me! I can't change something without being told. Anywho, enough of me talking - have a wonderful day/night and I hope to see you back here soon!**


	6. Chapter 6 Secrets Revealed

**A/N - I want to start by making sure everyone who has submitted reviews or added my story or me to their alerts or favorites to know how much I love each and every one of you. I am sorry this took a while, but I was having so much trouble with it. It's 15 pages long and the last 10 I wrote while I was supposed to be doing Army stuff. I think it will work though. **

**Please please please let me know what you think. I am curious to see if I got this right. Don't worry, I plan on doing it from several vampire's POV's in the next chapter, I just don't think I could have fit it in here without it being overload.**

**Without further ado, I give chapter 6 where secrets are aired out and bets are decided.**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing, the characters belong to Stephanie Meyer but she does let me play with them.

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**

**Bella's POV**

What do you do when you are told the family you live with are vampires?

Run away? – Nope, your leg is broken and you're doped up on pain pills.

Deny it? – Nope, you had a full demonstration of their capabilities.

Go crazy? – Possibly, but you can't do it while they are right there in front of you.

Ignore it? – Again, possible and clearly the most sane option besides running away.

Accept it? – The most reasonable answer if you anticipate staying with them any longer and can learn to live with it. This is the least sane option.

Which answer do I want to follow?

I don't know. And the silence is getting longer and longer. If I don't say something soon, they are going to assume the worst and nothing I ever say will make them think I have come to accept them.

"Please give me a few more minutes. I need to sort this out." I told them, holding my hand up for emphasis. They must have understood because no one so much as twitched.

I went back through the last few hours in my mind to get a grip on the situation.

* * *

I had stayed overnight in the hospital while they monitored for any complications after the surgery. My leg was screaming at me so I was unable to get more than a few hours of sleep. I was tired, hungry, grumpy and more than a little bit anxious about the news that would be revealed to me in the next 24 hours.

My mind was working in overdrive to try to figure it all out. I had many answers to the question, but I didn't know the exact question, just the smallest part of it, and I didn't know how the answers related to the question. My only hints were that all of the Cullens were not normal, there was something more to them than met the eye.

I had fallen asleep with those thoughts running through my head and all my dreams were of the last few days with my new family.

I think my mind had been trying to put the pieces together without me knowing it. The past week was a blur in my mind. The only part of the dream that stuck out to me was when I had started to run.

I was trying to run away from something, though what that something was, I could not say. It was a heavy presence that followed close behind me but never close enough for me to actually see what it was.

The hallways I was running through began to get smaller and darker, the corners tighter. Soon the presence was close enough that I could hear its breathing, I could _feel_ it right behind me.

I finally reach the door I was running for and turned the handle, but it would budge. The door was stuck shut. I turned around to face the presence, only it was right there inches from me. My eyes could not adjust to see it before I was swallowed into its cold body.

I woke up to five people standing around my bed trying to soothe me.

There was someone screaming and I couldn't understand why they wouldn't stop. After several long seconds I was able to put two and two together and closed my mouth and the screams cut off and replaced by whimpers.

I took a few deep breaths of air and felt my blood stop rushing through my head as quickly. My mind was able to calm down and start to put several thoughts together into coherent sentences.

I had a nightmare.

It had something to do with my family and what they were, but for now I was fine. I even managed to croak that out several times before the nurses and CNAs left me, shooting glances over their shoulders as if they didn't believe me.

For some strange reason I had been unable to sleep any more that night.

So when Carlisle came by to see how I was doing, he was startled to see how crappy I looked.

"Bella, were you in too much pain to sleep? Do you need to stay another night?" He asked, but both were the wrong question.

"No, no Carlisle, the pain is what I would expect, nothing that I can't handle and no I do not need to stay another night. I just had a nightmare last night and couldn't sleep after that." I told him trying to keep my voice somewhere between stern and pleading. He didn't look entirely convinced, but did not push anything further.

"Well, as long as you think the pain is controlled then Esme will be by later this morning to take you back home." I gave him a huge grin. I really did hate hospitals and doctors in general principle.

"However, you are to rest Bella and not exert yourself. I need you to get some sleep and let yourself recover. I had to do a lot of work to get your bones set and I do not want to have to bring you back in here for another surgery. Do you understand?" He had no problem with managing stern and compassionate. What else can a girl do besides nod when her doctor gives her such specific directions?

"Yes, Carlisle. I'm sure Esme will make sure I follow your instructions as well." He just smiled at me. Yeah, he knew that all right.

"As long as we all know our parts then we should do fine then." I cannot believe it, but he was actually making a reference to play production. "And if you really have done what I asked you to do then this evening we will sit down and try to answer your questions. Is that satisfactory?" He continued. My nerves were too much for me to trust myself to speak so I just nodded once sharply.

"Good. I'll call Esme and have her come over straight away. One of the nurses will go over the discharge papers with both of you and we'll get you on your way."

He walked out of the room only to be replaced by a nurse cooing over how wonderful I was doing and how great it was that I was going to be leaving. She didn't stop talking long enough for me to say anything which was fine by me. I was not exactly a master in the art of conversation.

A few hours later I was leaning back in the couch with my legs propped up on pillows trying to read _Romeo and Juliet_ for the fifth time while balancing a bowl of soup in my lap.

Esme must have seen my balancing act because suddenly my bowl was gone from my lap only to be replaced by a breakfast in bed type of tray with the soup bowl and a glass of milk on top.

"Thank you Esme." I murmured. I was shy around her, though I knew I had no reason to be.

"It's no trouble Bella. I just want to make sure you are comfortable." She smiled back at me. I blushed. Having someone run around and get things for me and help me with simple tasks was not something I was used to. I did not like it much.

Something else was bothering me as well, though I could not put a name to it. I watched Esme sit in the loveseat caddy corner to my couch and tried to figure out what I felt so guilty about. She had what looked like floor plans spread out on the low table before her and samples of fabrics, and colors in front of her. It looked like she was going designing a room or floor or house or something.

It was so weird how every person here seemed to be so content within their own little worlds. Those little worlds only seemed to overlap on occasion. Carlisle was a doctor and everything I had seen about him said that medicine was his passion. Esme did interior design and decorating. Alice had her fashion and clothing. Jasper read, though I think it was more than just reading, it was thinking too. Rosalie worked on cars and based on her clothes she did fashion stuff too. Emmett, well, I don't think Emmett had a thing so much as he was his thing which was acting like a kid still. And then there was Edward, who seemed to be the most reclusive. He had the music thing and reading.

Where did they all come together as a family? What made them so close? It was obvious to anyone outside of their circle that something had bonded them into a true and cohesive family, despite little to no biological background. What made them all love each other so unconditionally?

I suddenly realized why I was feeling so guilty.

I was already the recipient of their love, but I had done nothing to deserve it. As a matter of fact, I had done so many things to make it harder for them to give me that love. I was suddenly ashamed of my behavior.

"Esme?" I squeaked out timidly. She looked up at me and I hurried with the rest before she or I could stop the words. "Thank you. Thank you for taking me in when you had never met me. Thank you for being so patient with me when I was refusing to talk to anyone. Thank you for giving me time. And most especially, thank you for taking care of me and showing me love, even though I have not earned it yet." The last sentence came out in a whoosh, the words hardly separated at all.

"Oh Bella, you don't have to thank me for all of that." She walked around the table and knelt down to give me a hug. "You deserve it sweetie. We all know that you are dealing with a lot of loss in your life. We just want to be here for you. Do you understand?" She smiled gently at me. I was having difficulty seeing her face clearly and it wasn't until I felt the salty warmth of the tears that I realized why.

"Thank you Esme." I cried out and wrapped my arms around her neck. I didn't care that she was cold. All I cared about was that somehow this wonderful woman accepted me unconditionally and I did not want to let her down. My tears continued to flow. With that realization, came the need to make some room in my heart for the woman who I could see myself calling 'mom'. I cried for my loss of my mother and Phil. I cried for Charlie, whom I had lost two years ago to a stroke. I cried for my friends and life in Phoenix. I cried for the sun and rugged beauty that was the Rocky Mountains and Desert of Arizona.

I was saying good-bye to what my life had been so that I could open the door to my new life here in Forks with the Cullens. I think she sensed that because she let me cry into her shoulder and ruin her shirt with my tears. She patted soothing circles on my back and even kissed me on the top of my head, just like Renee used to kiss me. It worked instantly to calm me down.

I was able to eventually pull back and gave her a small, shaky smile. "You're a great mom, you know that?" I tried to make my smile brighter because she deserved it.

She looked like I had just told her she won the lottery, "Bella, its part of the job with five teenage children, now six. I'm always here when you need me, okay?" She waited for my nod before she pulled the bowl of soup away and walked to the kitchen. She came back a minute later with it steaming and warm again and draped a blanket around me. How did I not realize I was shaking? My stomach took that moment to make its demands upon the food known.

"Mm, smells great!" I told her as she put it and the tray back in my lap.

We went back to our earlier distractions, but now the silence was comfortable, as though some hidden tension had been relieved.

It was later in the evening, around 7 pm when Carlisle finally got home. After he took off his coat and greeted Esme he came over to see how I was doing.

"How are you feeling? Did you do what I had asked you to earlier? Did you eat something and get some sleep." I nodded obediently, and even managed a bright smile for him. "Well, you do appear to be in a better mood." He laughed, "Esme, what a change you have wrought! She is ten times better than the Bella that was wheeled out of the hospital." He kissed her much less chaste than most parents in front of their children.

I averted my gaze to give them some privacy and my eyes landed on Edward's as he stared at me from behind his piano. Our eyes locked only for the barest of moments, but the electricity in the air between us made me uncomfortable and I had to look away quickly before it overwhelmed me. _What was that?_ I asked myself and shook my head in a pathetic attempt to clear it.

I noticed that the rest of the family was starting to drift into the family room and sit around the loveseats and the rest of the couch that I was not taking up.

It was time for the family meeting. It was time to have my questions answered.

Carlisle and Esme joined last and that appeared to be the signal that everyone was waiting for as they stopped their side conversations. I was startled by how serious everyone looked, even Emmett.

Carlisle cleared his throat before he started to speak, "I know that everyone has a good idea as to why we are having this family meeting, but I want to make sure that we are all on the same page. Bella has made a request, and I wish to honor it. I think it is only fair to her that we tell her the whole truth before something happens that could have been prevented or someone does something careless." Everyone's eyes turned towards Emmett at that moment and I couldn't help but to giggle. I knew he was a trouble maker, but was he that bad? He tried to say something in his defense, but Carlisle just held up his hand.

"Bella, yesterday in the hospital you had asked me to tell you what was so different about us. Are you ready to hear the answer?" He asked me seriously. I looked at his face and all the others around me.

"Is it that bad?" I asked. From every person I got the same answer though with differing emotions. Some were cautious and hesitant, others were sympathetic and disgusted and Alice was anxious though she did not look to be as concerned as the others. After taking in their reactions, I looked at Carlisle and answered his original question, "If not now, then I will find out later. I don't want to wait and have it hanging over my head."

"Well, Bella, you were right in your assessment. My family, we are all very different from normal families. More so than even most adoptive families. You have already noticed that there are some similarities between us. We all have the same colored eyes and very similar complexions. We are cold to the touch, we are all beautiful or handsome, much more so than we have the right to be, and in case you haven't noticed we don't eat." I was nodding my head along with his observations until the last one. It took me a moment of looking back at the few times I had eaten with them to see that no one had ever taken a bite of their food.

"But how do you survive if you don't eat?" I couldn't help but ask. I was confused and I didn't like feeling that way.

"Well, Bella, that is the connection we all share. You see, we are all, umm" he looked around at the circle that his family made between us, and must have seen whatever he was looking for. "Bella, we are vampires." He said slowly so there could be no confusion.

I stared at him. Of all the things I could have imagined, not that I had all that many, the last thing I would have ever had on my list was 'dangerous mythical creatures'.

"You mean vampires as in Dracula and Buffy type vampires?" I finally asked, hoping someone would shout 'just kidding!' Instead I looked around at 7 very hesitant people, none of whom would meet my eyes except Carlisle.

"Well, sort of. That is a place to start. Those myths were all created as a way to protect us from discovery and for humans to think they had a fighting chance. No part of them is really true. We don't turn into bats, we don't have to sleep in coffins, running water does not have any affect on us, the sun does not hurt us, you can't drive a stake through our hearts to kill us, holy water nor the Lord's Prayer have any effect upon us."

According to my sorry knowledge of the vampire myths, that was just about everything. So then what made them vampires? "So where in there can you be vampires?" I asked out loud. Everyone just stared at me like I was missing something huge.

"Bella, vampires drink blood." Esme told me slowly and calmly.

"Oh. Blood." Like the stuff that was coursing through my veins at a million miles a minute right now. Like the stuff that would bleed if I cut my finger. My eyes must have been huge and my face must have been so pale at that moment.

"But we don't drink human blood Bella. We drink animal blood." Carlisle finished for her. My face must have shown my confusion.

"If you're vampires, and vampires drink blood, then why don't you drink human blood?" I wondered out loud.

"Even though we are monsters does not mean we want to be monsters." Edward told me sternly. I nodded. I could understand why they would feel that way. It was like the people that were vegetarian because they did not want to hurt animals.

"Do all vampires drink only animal blood?" I couldn't help but ask.

"No they do not. My family is a bit different and considered odd within the vampire community." Carlisle began again.

This was getting so confusing. What was true and what wasn't? Were they really vampires? No one should be able to speak about it so calmly.

"I'm not sure that I can believe you right now Carlisle. This is just too strange, it's too much."

"Would you like a demonstration Bella? It is important that you understand this one important point tonight because you have a very difficult decision to make." I couldn't have said it better myself. I nodded to give my consent. "Alice, would you mind?"

Suddenly Alice was right in front of me. "Vampires are very fast Bella, faster than what any human could possibly see." She was gone and then in front of me so fast I didn't know whether or not I had blinked. She gave me a picture of my mother and me together. It had been on my night stand last I had checked.

Then Alice easily lifted the couch with me on it. "Vampires are very strong." She gently placed the couch back down exactly where the marks on the carpet said it stayed.

"Feel my skin Bella." She held out her hand and arm for me. I tentatively reach out to touch her hand. It was as cold as I remembered it. And smooth. I tried pushing into her palm, but nothing gave. It was like she was stone.

"It's cold like before, and it's smooth like marble. But it's really hard too. Why?" I asked. I was fascinated by the feeling and texture of her hand. I held it in one of my hands and the other was tracing the lines of her palm.

"When I was changed into a vampire, I was frozen in time. It literally turned my skin to stone. Nothing about my physical body will ever change; I am going to be 17 or 18 forever." She let that sink in for a few moments. "There are a few other things that you should know. Vampires also have extremely acute hearing, vision and sense of smell. I can hear the cars on the highway at the end of our drive. I can see better than an eagle. I can smell the adrenaline running in your veins." With that she took a long indrawn breath, though a part of me knew that she did not need to.

All this… it was scary. I didn't know what to do. I had another question I had to ask before I could draw any conclusions.

"Do you want to drink my blood?" I tried to carefully control my voice. It cracked at the very end, betraying my nerves.

"The cravings that are a part of being a vampire, they demand that I drink your blood more than anything else. The human part of me, the part that loves you would never think about taking your blood and therefore your life. I would fight with all my strength against anything that threatened you, even myself and my family Bella. You mean that much to me." She then startled me by giving me a gentle hug and kissed my forehead before she walked back to her seat in Jasper's lap. I think it was her way of asking forgiveness for being and what she was.

All I could do was silently nod and try to understand all of this. I had one large decision to make right now.

_What do you do when you are told the family you live with are vampires?_

_Run away? – Nope, your leg is broken and you're doped up on pain pills_

_Deny it? – Nope, you had a full demonstration of their capabilities_

_Go crazy? – Possibly, but you can't do it while they are right there in front of you._

_Ignore it? – Again, possible and clearly the most sane option besides running away._

_Accept it? – The most reasonable answer if you anticipate staying with them any longer and can learn to live with it. This is the least sane option._

_Which answer do I want to follow?_

_I don't know. And the silence is getting longer and longer. If I don't say something soon, they are going to assume the worst and nothing I ever say will make them think I have come to accept them._

"_Please give me a few more minutes. I need to sort this out." I told them, holding my hand up for emphasis. They must have understood because no one so much as twitched._

Were those truly my options? I don't think I really had that many. I think I either accepted it or I accepted that I was crazy. I didn't feel crazy, so that means that they really are telling me the truth. They are vampires.

It would explain so much of what I had seen over the last week. They never ate nor drank anything. Their cold bodies, their eyes and complexions were all so similar despite the fact that they were not blood related. Edward had so easily lifted me from the stairs and caught me in the theater. Even the distance some of them had kept made more sense.

If all this was true, why would they bring me into their home? Why would they put so much effort into me and try to make me feel comfortable if I could cause them trouble?

"Because we wanted to protect you Bella." Wait, had I spoken the last question out loud? No, I don't think I did.

"What do you mean you wanted to protect me and how did you know I needed to be protected?" I skipped my first question and asked the others behind it.

"Much like all of our human senses and capabilities are increased when we are changed, so too are all of our human tendencies. Some of us had special gifts even as humans and those gifts carried over to this part of our lives. Alice's gift is to see the future." Carlisle explained. "The same day that your parents passed away, she had many visions of you Bella. Many, many more than she has ever had of one person in only one viewing."

"What did you see Alice? Why do I need to be protected?"

"I saw you die. I watched you suffer through dozens of accidents, sever illnesses, even murders through the hands of different people, and even a few vampires." I gasped. That was much more than I had expected to hear from her. How was it that she could see all that and I not be six feet under already?

"I decided there was a reason I was seeing these visions of you and I was determined to stop them from happening, I was going to protect you as soon as you got into Washington. The visions, well, they slowed down after I made that decision, but they were still showing themselves to me. My decision alone was not enough to keep you alive. I wanted my entire family to protect you, and if I could talk them into it, I saw one of us always aborting the tragedies before they could occur. We would be able to keep you safe. I stopped watching you die and began to watch you grow within our family and move on to college. That was what I wanted for you."

"Oh." That really was not what I had expected. I mean, why would they want to protect me so much? Especially since three members of the family had made it abundantly clear that I was not as welcome as the rest of the family wanted me to be. "But not everyone feels the same way." I pointed out. "Rosalie doesn't like me, Jasper does not want me here, and Edward cannot decide but he does not feel like I belong here either." I knew I was right in my assessment. Their actions made so much more sense now.

Rosalie took it upon herself to explain her opinion first. "I think it's a mistake to have you here. If anything happens, it will bring attention to my family that will make life very difficult. We just moved here. I like it here. We can go outside during the day and I can be as normal as a vampire can be. But when something happens to you, we will have to move like we are on the run. I will not let that happen because of some klutzy human." She put more venom in her words than necessary, but what she was saying made sense to me.

It was dangerous to have me here.

"Bella, there are two reasons that I was, and still am, hesitant to accept you within our family. My first is the same reason that Rosalie has already put forth. The second is that having you here, in this house, is very difficult for me. I have more trouble than the rest of my family with controlling my vampire half. I do not want to hurt you, but if you were to cut yourself…" Jasper swallowed and looked a little shaken at the thought, "It's very likely that I would not control myself. Your life would rest in the hands of the rest of the family holding me back from you. Already you have become a part of this family, and I could not stand the thought of something happening to you. I do not want to be the force that took your life Bella."

That was the longest speech I had ever heard from Jasper. Wow. It was intense. I could see and hear how hard it was for him to admit everything. I could even feel how tortured he felt about being like that.

"It's okay Jasper. I feel better knowing why. From both of you actually." I said looking at Rosalie also. She had told me her reasoning, and I could understand why she would think that way.

I thought carefully for a moment. Would it not be better for me to leave? I did not want to cause so much trouble and heart ache for them. But I didn't want to go. I know that I could be happy here. Esme and Carlisle would never replace my parents in my heart, but they were my mom and dad just as much as Renee and Phil and Charlie ever were. But one person had not told me his reasons yet.

"And you Edward? What is the reason that you do not want me here?"

"I think it is wrong to expose you to this world. No human should have to know that the things that go bump in the night are real. Nor should they fear that the worst demons the human imagination had come up with are real. You should not have to live with those demons, Bella, even as civilized as we are." He sighed heavily before continuing.

"As much trouble as Jasper has, it is nothing compared to what I have dealt with since you have appeared in my life. Your blood, it calls to me as no other human's blood has. You smell so delicious that every moment I can smell you, I have to keep myself from taking your life right then and there. It scares me to think that in a moment of weakness I could very easily take your life. I do not want to do that to you, and I do not want to do that to my family.

"It is not safe for you to be here. We should never have let Alice talk us into this." His head was hung in shame, though whether because he had admitted his thoughts or because of his thoughts I could not tell.

Perhaps it really would be better for me to leave. I don't want to be the cause of so much trouble and strife within this family. They were so wonderful to each other and to me. I really shouldn't be here. I don't belong in their world, as had been pointed out to me time and again tonight. They should not be responsible for me either. I had to know what else was going on. Alice's explanation was still missing something. Why would they put so much effort into keeping one human alive?

"Alice, you said you saw me dying. What made you see me and why did you decide I was special enough to deserve your attention?" I finally asked.

The entire family looked like I had just asked the last question they expected of me.

She hesitated for a moment. She looked so out of her element, that I immediately felt sorry for putting her on the spot like that. "I don't know why I saw you, but every time I saw your death, I saw my family, our family," she corrected. I smiled sadly at that reminder that they could easily be my family. "Mourning and broken. Why your death would cause that when you had not been a part of it was beyond me at the time. Since then I have seen a few visions that hint at something more, something deeper, but I do not know what to make of them yet. It's too soon for me to say anything."

I sat listening to her and tried to take in everything she said. As I was contemplating her new visions, it dawned on me why the family would be so confused earlier. I was being so calm about all of this. I should not have accepted everything so easily, least of all Alice's visions. They obviously could not understand what was going on in my mind. I was trying to think about anything and everything except the elephant in the room.

I was surrounded by seven vampires. My leg was in a huge cast and I could not put any weight on it. I had nowhere else to go. All my friends were in Arizona half-way across the country.

I was holding my fear and anxiety at bay by the thin threads of logic and questions. Even now, with the slightest deviation of my train of thought, the panic was building up within me. I stared open eyed around the room, trying to understand it all.

Jasper was staring at me as well, though it looked like he was concentrating much more than I was. My panic started to subside and I could feel my breath moving in and out of my lungs much easier.

But none of that made any sense. My panic and anxiety should increase under his close observation. He had just admitted to being one of my most dangerous family members, why would I start to feel calmer under his gaze? My mind desperately tried to work its way around this new puzzle. With a gasp, I realized what it was.

"You've a gift too, don't you Jasper?" It was his turn to be confused now.

"How could you tell?" Emmett finally spoke up.

"Well, he was staring at me so intently that I should have been panicking more, not calming down." I explained as calmly as I could manage.

"You're an observant little human, now aren't you, little sis." Emmett chuckled. Hearing his laughter made me relax even more. If he was laughing then that meant things were okay. He couldn't stand being serious and it was draining me too much. But I still had questions that needed to be answered.

"So, do you have a gift too Jasper?"

"Yes I do. I can feel and, um, manipulate the emotions of people around me." He demonstrated a little bit by suddenly making me feel all sorts of giggly and then suddenly I was so sad that I immediately started to cry before he brought me back to what I had been feeling.

"Whoa… remind me not to make you upset, okay?" I told him, trying to lighten the mood a little. I got a cocky grin from him and a dazzling smile from Alice.

"I do still need to think about this for a while. It's kinda hard to just accept the idea that you're all vampires. And even harder to get that you are vampires that don't want to hurt me, but want to help me. It's a lot for a girl to take in all at once." They seemed to understand clearly and made their way to other parts of the house.

Before Emmett left I asked if he would carry me upstairs and he agreed after some teasing. I was very grateful for him at that moment. He had put so much work into helping me that I knew he liked me and really wanted to keep me around.

He helped me get comfortable in the bed, but rather than leaving, he surprised me by sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep you from falling Bella." He apologized. My jaw dropped. I wasn't expecting real puppy dog eyes from him. He was so sad; he didn't feel like my big brother Emmett.

"Don't worry, it was inevitable. I'm such a klutz that it would have happened. Even without you looking at me every five seconds." I teased. He play glared at me.

"Yeah, I guess I made you nervous huh?" He laughed. "So who won the bet?" I could tell that he expected to lose. I took a few moments to think because I didn't want him to lose since he had been so great.

"Let's see, you didn't catch me, so you lost there. But you did keep the light from dropping on me, which kept me from getting squished rather than just pancaked so…" I tried to drag out this part as long as I could.

"I think it's a draw." I smiled.

"Aw Bella! That's not fair! At least one of us is supposed to win!" He complained.

I laughed and was joined by laughter from all over the house.

"I take it the rest of them heard too, right?"

"Yup, welcome to the house with no privacy." He got an evil grin on his face. Uh oh. "Especially with Edward around."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. Based on his grin I would not like the answer.

"He's a damned mind-reader. Hears anything someone is thinking about." He pointed to his head for emphasis.

I gaped at him in horror. Edward could hear everything was thinking? At any time?

"Bella, you should see your face. It's as white, no it's whiter than I am," Emmett told me with glee.

Suddenly it was no longer so white. All the blood that had drained from my face was now suddenly rushing back up to it, making me blush as bright red as an apple. I dropped my face into my hands, more mortified than I could ever remember being.

I suddenly heard a very irritated Alice yell at Emmett, "Now is when you tell Bella that Edward cannot hear her."

I peaked at her through my fingers. "Is that true?" I had to ask.

"Yes, it is true. It has been driving me mad not to be able to hear you." Edward was suddenly leaning against the door jamb. Must be his favorite spot. He sounded frustrated.

"Well, I for one am glad. I don't need any snooping vampires in my head."

As soon as I said it out loud, I knew what I was going to do. I was staying. The Cullens would be my new family. In my new family, I got the brothers and sisters I had never expected to have and a mother and father that were still together and happy.

I smiled so wide at the thought and somehow they seemed to understand what the smile was all about. They knew that my decision was to stay with them.

Emmett gave me a high five.

Alice was jumping up and down, clapping her hands and squealing like she did so often when she was excited. I'm pretty sure she would have launched herself at me, but suddenly Jasper was there, holding her close to him.

Even Jasper was smiling at me, his grin just as wide as my own.

Edward was initially undecided. _So I have not won that battle yet._ I thought to myself.

I think his siblings' joy made him happy too, and he flashed me the most stunning crooked grin I had ever seen.

I felt the breath get knocked from me with the force it had on me. I blinked and looked down at Alice trying to figure out what just happened. But my mind was not up to the task at that moment so I just put my smile back on.

It wasn't hard. I had a home. I may have lost one home, but I had gained a new one to replace it. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry, but the happiness in my room was contagious, so I laughed.

Some where, deep inside of me, I heard a little voice tell me to enjoy this while I could. It was not going to last long.

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**A/N So now Bella knows the secret and as much as I hate to stop right there, I know you are dying to know what some of the other characters are thinking. So I will do my darndest to grant you your wish. Again, thank you all so much for sending those pretty reviews my way and for adding me to your alerts and all that. I hope the wait was worth it - tell me the good, the bad and the ugly so I can amend it as best I can with other POV's. Hehe. If you really want you can even tell me who you really want to hear from too. :-)**


	7. Chapter 7 Questions Without Answer

**A/N - So, here is the big reveal from several other character's POVs. It took me a while to get past a bit of writer's block, so here's to it being all right. Thank you all so much for your patience and your reviews and your adds and alerts and favorites and all the good jazz. You are all awesome. I'm going to put out that super annoying request again - Please let me know what you think about this chapter. Without your critique or hearty 'yay' I cannot know if I am doing a good job or not. Without further ado...**

**Disclaimer - All the pretty characters belong to Stephanie Meyer, I only play with them.

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**Esme's POV**

I picked up the phone on the first ring. I had been waiting for Carlisle's call for hours and didn't know how much longer I could wait. I was so worried about Bella and wanted nothing more than to pick her up and hug her and let her know that everything was going to be okay.

I knew that she wanted to know more about us. I knew that she was scared. I knew that she may not want to stay with us once she knew our secret.

None of that mattered right now.

Right now, I had a scared and hurt little girl that I needed to take care.

"Esme, I told Bella she could leave when you got here." I smiled wide at hearing those words. Carlisle would only let her go if she was doing well. "Would you mind stopping by my office before you go and pick her up? There are some things we have to discuss before you see her." That made me start to worry all over again. Maybe she wasn't doing as well as I thought.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind seeing you first." I tried to hide my worry, but my husband always heard it no matter how well I hid it from anyone else.

"She's fine Esme, no need to worry further. She's just stubborn and I want to make sure you hear the directions I gave her from me rather than through her. She may tweak one or two." He laughed. Yes, that would be just like Bella. She hated people taking care of her and worrying about her almost as much as I did.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I told him then hung up. I grabbed my jacket and dashed out the door.

I walked into Carlisle's office only to find him pacing back and forth in front of his desk. For Carlisle to be showing this much edginess meant that he was very anxious.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?" I asked quietly after closing the door.

"It's Bella. I don't know how to tell her without scaring her off. Alice made it so clear what would happen if she had never come to us and I don't doubt that the outcome would be the same if she left now." We never hid anything from each other, even if it pained us to say that we did not know and answer.

"You'll find the right words." I thought for a moment. "She won't believe words alone. We'll have to demonstrate this to her as well. Do you think that Alice would be willing to do so?" I asked. We would not have much time to discuss this once Carlisle got home and Alice would be able to see what we were going to ask of her as soon as we made that decision. Also, Bella trusted Alice more than any of my other children and it would be easier for Bella to feel safe with Alice performing her super human tasks.

As if he could see what I was thinking he answered my question with a large smile. "That's perfect Esme. I think that will work best. Would you mind having a talk with her before I get home? She may see it already, but would probably like being asked beforehand as well." I nodded. We both knew how Alice worked.

"Now, what extra directions do I need to know before I take Bella home?" I asked.

"She is to rest for the next few days in bed or on the couch with her leg elevated. The only time she is allowed to get up is if she is going to the restroom, and then that is with assistance only. She cannot put any weight on the leg, not even for balance, so someone is going to have to be with her at all times. For everything else, I'm sure you know better than me what she needs." He gave me a wide, warm smile.

"Will she get crutches or anything like that?" I asked a bit confused. Usually when humans break a leg they had crutches or walkers.

"Could you imagine the damage Bella would do to herself or someone else with crutches?" He asked laughing. I couldn't help joining him in his laughter either. I could just see Alice getting the largest headache just from seeing all the accidents so much as trying to prevent any.

"I see your point. How about a wheel chair before she goes back to school at least?" I knew she would need something for there. It would be too conspicuous to have one of the children carry her around all the time. At home any one of us would be able to help her get around and get things for her.

"That would be fine. But now it's time to go over the discharge paperwork for her. Let me show you to her room." Carlisle agreed as he led me down the hallway.

We were back at home and Bella was lying down on the couch. I had made her a bowl of chicken noodle soup to eat and a glass of milk was sitting next to her on the coffee table. She was trying to balance the soup and her book in her lap but was not managing very well. The soup was only seconds away from falling when I quickly whisked it and the glass of milk onto a breakfast tray I had brought in from the kitchen. I placed it back on her lap and received a quiet "Thank you Esme." From Bella.

I couldn't help but smile at the sincerity she spoke with, "It's no trouble Bella. I just want to make sure you are comfortable." Bella blushed when I told her that. I could only shake my head at her odd reactions.

I sat nearby and started to sort out the different samples I had in front of me. The bedroom that we had set up for Bella did not fit her very well and I was trying to figure out a way to alter it to make her more comfortable. I knew she liked blue and lots of light so I was trying to play with different shades of blue and schemes to add more of a summer day feel to her room.

I kept glancing over at Bella to see if I could get inspiration straight from the source, but she was closed off and more difficult to read than typical for her. I could see that she was thinking very hard about something and I could only hope it was not to do with the mystery that was my family. She didn't need to worry about that more than necessary since it was going to be a lot for her later.

"Esme?" I heard her ask as though she was unsure what she was going to say. I looked up at her and waited for her to continue. "Thank you. Thank you for taking me in when you had never met me. Thank you for being so patient with me when I was refusing to talk to anyone. Thank you for giving me time. And most especially, thank you for taking care of me and showing me love, even though I have not earned it yet." I was taken back by her sudden opening up to me, but that moment of hesitation was quickly swallowed up by my overwhelming feelings of love and hope and protectiveness for my youngest child.

"Oh Bella, you don't have to thank me for all of that." I had already started to make my way towards her. I wanted to show her just how much I cared for her and wanted her to be happy. I gave her the gentlest hug I possibly could. "You deserve it sweetie. We all know that you are dealing with a lot of loss in your life. We just want to be here for you." I held her still but pulled back enough to look at her face so she could see my smile. "Do you understand?" She had started to cry and I felt my heart swell for her that much more.

"Thank you Esme." Then Bella surprised me and gave me the greatest gift she could have. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave all her trust over to me. She cried for all her loss, her pain, her suffering. And in the release of her tears she opened her heart up to accept me. She opened her heart up to accept us.

From that moment, I had no doubt that Bella was my daughter and that she would stay with us from tonight on.

I let her cry on my shoulder while I rubbed her back. What she needed the most was a mother and I hoped she would let me be her mother. I noticed that her tears were starting to slow and I kissed the top of her head. As if that action had some magic in it, she nearly instantly changed from sorrow to hope and her tears started to dry up.

It wasn't long before I received a somewhat watery smile from her. "You're a great mom, you know that?"

My heart soared and my smile grew to a huge grin. Bella had not only accepted me, but she had completely accepted me as her mother. I was living on cloud nine. My eyes and face must have lit up as her smile grew larger in return.

"Bella, its part of the job with five teenage children, now six. I'm always here when you need me, okay?" I did not want to pull away, but I knew she needed to rest and finish eating so she could get back on her feet. Literally.

As soon as she gave her nod of understanding, I picked up her soup and went to the kitchen to reheat it in the microwave. I was never more grateful I was now that I always made sure to learn how to operate every appliance we had set up as props. Our props now had a use and I had something more to do with my time than work on the house and the garden.

Bella brought me more purpose and more joy. And she thought of me as her mother.

I couldn't have been any happier than I was right then.

I brought the soup back to her and noticed that she was shivering. _Well of course she's shivering, she was just hugging an icicle for half an hour._ I scolded myself for not paying enough attention. If we weren't careful she could catch a bad cold here.

I placed her bowl back on the tray and draped the blanket on the back of the couch around her. After making sure that she was fine, I went back to working on her room, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do now. She really had inspired me.

* * *

**Jasper's POV**

I was so overwhelmed by the feelings of my family that I was starting to project it back without realizing it. After the fifth time of trying to distract me in the house, Alice gave up and took a new approach.

"Jazz, what do you say we get out of here for a while, just take a nice long run?" She asked with concern radiating from both her voice and her mind. All I could manage was a swift nod.

Not wanting to field any more emotions or questions, I grabbed her hand and swiftly opened one of the windows. We jumped down and immediately began a large circuitous route around our property and the town of Forks. We didn't say anything because nothing had to be said. Alice and I understood each other without having to say a word. She knew that I was having a hard time between smelling Bella just downstairs and the edginess that my entire family was experiencing. Except Alice.

On our fifth circuit, I broke our silence. "You know what her answer is." It wasn't a question, but a statement. She glanced at me before answering anyway.

"Yes, I do." She turned thoughtful for a moment and we slowed down to a walk at human pace. "When she asks you a question directly, answer as honestly as you can. It'll work out better than anything else." Did she just tell me to tell Bella that I have wanted to kill her for the last week? Alice gave me a blinding smile. Yes, yes she did.

"She's going to ask about our gifts too! That's going to be so much fun. You'll even get to play with her too." Alice brought back her high energy enthusiasm.

That was what I loved about her more than anything else. She was rarely in a bad mood and if she was, she was rarely there for long. It made life with her so great. I did not have to worry about her and could just be me. She was the only person I had ever met who let me just be me. She felt the shift in my mood and I was on the receiving end of one of her gorgeous smiles.

I pulled her closer to me, spinning her in the process and pulled her into a tight hug. Our lips met and we shared our love and devotion and hopes with each other and temporarily forgot about our worries. I drank in her heavenly scent and felt the shivers that she sent down my spine where one of her hands was playing, the other being tangled up in my hair. Alice was my heaven here on Earth.

Her lips left mine and found their way to my ear. "We need to get back to the house to welcome our little sister into the family." She whispered, her breath gently tickling my ear.

She pulled out from my embrace, grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind her as we made our way back to the house. She was an indomitable force when she had her mind set on something, and right now, that determination was directed towards bringing Bella in to our family.

Alice sat on my lap on the couch past Bella's supine body. I had taken some experimental breaths and determined that my desire to keep her safe was stronger than my desire for her blood. She would be safe from me tonight.

I focused on the emotional atmosphere around us and was disturbed by what I was sensing. Bella was nervous, fearful, anxious and in pain. Was she okay to hear this tonight? Before I could voice my concerns Carlisle and Esme took their seats and our family meeting was starting.

Carlisle had to clear his throat before he could start. _He's more nervous than I've ever seen him!_ I thought. Carlisle is never nervous enough to where anyone besides me and maybe Edward knows it. "I know that everyone has a good idea as to why we are having this family meeting, but I want to make sure that we are all on the same page. Bella has made a request, and I wish to honor it. I think it is only fair to her that we tell her the whole truth before something happens that could have been prevented or someone does something careless."

Everyone turned to Emmett since he was the one person we knew would be the most likely reason for trouble. He gave everyone his best impression of a sheepish grin but I could feel something akin to pride emanating from him. He enjoyed his pranks and was more than happy to be recognized for his 'achievements.' Before I could shake my head, I heard a tinkling laugh from the other side of the couch. _Bella's laughing? With everything else she is feeling, she can still laugh? This girl is made of tougher stuff than I gave her credit for._ I glanced at Edward to make sure he heard that and received a small nod from him.

He was emanating the most concern and hesitation. I was surprised that he would demonstrate so much concern for someone that only a few days ago he had hated. And it had truly been hate. Something had changed between them on Monday night though neither of them realized that there was a shift, I had recognized it immediately. I kept my thoughts carefully guarded because I knew that if Edward could see where things were headed, he would run for the woods at the first opportunity. I didn't have to have Alice's vision to know that Bella needed Edward and that sometime, Edward may start to need Bella.

"Bella, yesterday in the hospital you had asked me to tell you what was so different about us. Are you ready to hear the answer?" Carlisle continued after everyone's attention had focused back on him and Bella.

"Is it that bad?" She sounded hesitant. She gazed around the room, judging everyone's answers. Surprisingly enough, no one was trying to mask how they felt about her finding out our secret. Rosalie felt nothing but disdain and boredom, Edward was radiating caution and concern, Carlisle and Esme were both cautious, but sympathetic and Emmett was hesitating as if he did not know if this was the right thing to be doing or not. My Alice was somewhat concerned, but no more than if she was telling someone to be careful on such and such day because they would get bad news. I did not know what my face showed, but I was following my wife's lead.

Any hesitation she had felt disappeared and was replaced by determination. "If not now, then I will find out later. I don't want to wait and have it hanging over my head."

I had to hand it to her, she met trouble head on. I could really come to respect her. Forget come to, I already respected her and her courage and determination. If anyone could decide that she was going to live with a house full of vampires, it was her.

Carlisle started right with it. "Well, Bella, you were right in your assessment. My family, we are all very different from normal families. More so than even most adoptive families. You have already noticed that there are some similarities between us. We all have the same colored eyes and very similar complexions. We are cold to the touch, we are all beautiful or handsome, much more so than we have the right to be, and in case you haven't noticed we don't eat." She seemed to be tracking until he got to his last note.

"But how do you survive if you don't eat?" She was confused and was frustrated by it.

"Well, Bella, that is the connection we all share. You see, we are all, umm" he hesitated and looked at us to find whatever he needed to continue.

"Bella, we are vampires." Her emotions were a maze of confusion, and anger and fear.

"You mean vampires as in Dracula and Buffy type vampires?" She asked. Well… that was one way to look at it. We were all trying to figure out what to say to her, but no one quite knew how to go from here.

"Well, sort of. That is a place to start. Those myths were all created as a way to protect us from discovery and for humans to think they had a fighting chance. No part of them is really true. We don't turn into bats, we don't have to sleep in coffins, running water does not have any affect on us, the sun does not hurt us, you can't drive a stake through our hearts to kill us, holy water nor the Lord's Prayer have any effect upon us." I could feel her confusion increase until it had overwhelmed her anger and even a bit of her fear. Her determination seemed to start holding its ground too. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"So where in there can you be vampires?" _Is she serious? Did she really forget about the one thing that makes a vampire?_ I stared at her incredulously. Luckily at least one of us was able to gain her composure quickly.

"Bella, vampires drink blood." Esme told her kindly. She even managed to do without being patronizing.

"Oh. Blood." I felt the fear settle back in place and take firm root. Her eyes were huge and I could almost feel the fear over power her minds ability to cope. I was not sure how much longer she could handle this before she broke. Edward shot me a death glare. I just shrugged. If it started to get much worse, then I would try to stop it. That was all I could do.

As it was, I was trying to calm her down a notch or two. I couldn't over do it because she would still need to feel her emotions in order to fully understand what she was being told. I always liked challenges, and I was being presented with a huge challenge right here.

"But we don't drink human blood Bella. We drink animal blood." Carlisle continued Esme's thought after a few long moments.

"If you're vampires, and vampires drink blood, then why don't you drink human blood?" She asked. I do not know if she meant to ask it or not, but it was out now.

All of the sudden I felt a surge of anger and resentment from Edward and Rosalie both. "Even though we are monsters does not mean we want to be monsters." Edward told her with more intensity than necessary. _Turn it down a few notches man, she's got a lot to think about, don't upset her even more with your temper tantrum._ I sent him a sample of the mix of her emotions with my thoughts to demonstrate exactly how much pressure she was under already without his outbursts adding to it. He looked somewhat appalled by what I sent to him and I felt him calm down immediately without my help. I sent a few calming waves towards Rosalie to keep her from becoming a problem as well.

"Do all vampires drink only animal blood?" She asked. I was starting to wonder why she was asking all these questions. Shouldn't she be trying to work out what it is that she is feeling as it is without adding more to it?

"No they do not. My family is a bit different and considered odd within the vampire community." Carlisle carefully explained, skirting the heart of the questions. _"Do I have to worry about more of your kind?"_

I could feel her confusion and fear combining and muddle her thinking further. I desperately sent more calm and even questioning her way. She did better when she was questioning, so why not continue it so she could get through this evenings round of answers.

"I'm not sure that I can believe you right now Carlisle. This is just too strange, it's too much." I could see that as clear as a neon light, but she also wanted answers. Answers that it was up to us to supply her with.

* * *

**Edward's POV**

I was staring hard at Bella trying desperately to hear whatever was going on inside her head. I knew she had to be under a lot of strain to try to understand all of this, but if what Jasper sent me was really what she was feeling, how had she not broken under it already. Why was she still asking for more answers?

"Would you like a demonstration Bella? It is important that you understand this one important point tonight because you have a very difficult decision to make." _No Bella, don't do it, run away Bella, run away!_ I thought, desperate for her to hear my silent cry.

Instead she nodded. _No Bella. This isn't how you're supposed to live._

"Alice, would you mind?" Carlisle asked her, careful to keep his voice even. _This is where we bite the bullet. There's no turning back now,_ he thought. Inside, a part of me cried.

Alice jumped from Jasper's lap and moved to stand in front of Bella. It was too fast for Bella to follow, but my eyes had no trouble. I saw Bella's eyes widen with surprise and fear. "Vampires are very fast Bella, faster than what any human could possibly see." Alice then moved to Bella's room and brought down a picture of Bella and her mother from a few years ago. Bella barely had time to blink before Alice was handing the picture to her.

_I guess we're going for the going for the full effect now aren't we?_ _Nothing like just ripping the band-aid off to get it over with quickly._ Emmett thought at me. I wasn't amused.

Alice next moved to lift the couch with both Bella and Jasper on it. She easily managed it and balanced it above her head for a moment before bringing it back to the ground. "Vampires are strong." _I'm sorry Edward, I know this is hard for you to watch._ She told me. It just confused me. Why would it be harder for me than for anyone else here to watch? What did she know that I didn't?

"Feel my skin Bella." Alice told her while holding out her hand. I could see the wheels in Bella's brain turn, but could hear nothing. I was getting more frustrated by the second. I wanted nothing more than to hear what she was thinking.

"It's cold like before, and it's smooth like marble. But it's really hard too. Why?" She asked as she continued to brush her fingers against Alice's palm.

"When I was changed into a vampire, I was frozen in time. It literally turned my skin to stone. Nothing about my physical body will ever change; I am going to be 17 or 18 forever." _I wish I knew even that. I don't know how old I am or who I was before the change,_ she thought before continuing. "There are a few other things that you should know. Vampires also have extremely acute hearing, vision and sense of smell. I can hear the cars on the highway at the end of our drive. I can see better than an eagle. I can smell the adrenaline running in your veins."

Bella should have been feeling more fear than anything at this moment, but a quick look in Jasper's thoughts showed mostly confusion and hesitation, and far below all that, fear.

Then she asked the one question that all of us had hoped she would not ask.

"Do you want to drink my blood?" Her voiced cracked at the end. Now there was fear. Of course. Even Emmett was holding his breath to see how Alice would answer her question.

But Alice had already seen this happen and had come up with a damn good answer. The pesky pixie did have some advantages that came in handy.

"The cravings that are a part of being a vampire, they demand that I drink your blood more than anything else. The human part of me, the part that loves you would never think about taking your blood and therefore your life. I would fight with all my strength against anything that threatened you, even me and my family Bella. You mean that much to me." I gave my sister a grateful smile. She said what none of us had the courage to say.

Alice gave Bella a hug and kissed her forehead before returning to Jasper's waiting arms. He comforted her and let her know she had done well through his touch and gaze.

Bella did not have anyone to comfort her like that and she was going through so much more than what any of us had.

When we were changed and told what we were, it was harder to deny. Our vision had changed, the way our minds thought had changed, and the raw power that we all felt flowing through our bodies all told us something was different. All Bella had to go by were her observations of us. Was her human mind capable of understanding this? Can she really accept us? The longer she stayed silent the more I began to doubt. As did everyone else, besides Alice and Esme.

_She's trying to find a nice way to say thanks but no thanks._ Emmett thought dully. He was going to miss her as the little sister he had not gotten to help raise.

_Good riddance._ Rosalie was being as selfish as ever. She didn't like how Bella had taken her husband from her side for even the barest of moments.

_I know you can figure this out. You're a part of the family Bella, just let us show you._ Carlisle was thinking desperately.

_So much confusion, but determination too. I think she'll figure her way out of this somehow._ Jasper seemed almost as positive as Alice. Of course, he had spoken with her earlier, so he was pretty sure that what she had seen would come true.

_Just a little more time. Its okay Bella, we'll help you get through all of this. Ask your questions and you'll get answers, I promise._ Alice knew there were more questions coming, huh? I hope they were not going to questions that we could not in good grace answer.

_Just a little more time dear. I know that's all you need. We can be patient._ Esme was always the most patient out of everyone. It was why we all loved her so and how she was able to keep us together. Apparently she was going to use it to help Bella too.

But what do I want? Do I want her to stay with us? Her with her blood that calls to me so? Or her mind that I cannot penetrate? Her smiles and tears and laughter and sighs.

_Run Bella run._

_Stay Bella stay._

Both were my true thoughts. But which did I want more?

She looked up to our anxious faces then and held up her hand. "Please give me a few more minutes. I need to sort this out." At her request we all waited as patient as only vampires can. Knowing that an answer was coming, our minds stilled and just waited.

I saw Bella's question in Alice's mind moments before Bella would have asked. _If all this was true, why would you bring me into your home? Why would you put so much effort into me and try to make me feel comfortable if I cause all this trouble?"_

Before Bella could ask it out loud Alice answered her, "Because we wanted to protect you Bella." Alice was afraid that if Esme or Carlisle or even I heard the question we would start to second guess whether we should have allowed her to come and live with us. And she was right to worry.

"What do you mean you wanted to protect me and how did you know I needed to be protected?" She got to the heart of matters quickly I see. No beating around the bush. I was beginning to see Carlisle's wisdom in telling her everything straight out.

"Much like all of our human senses and capabilities are increased when we are changed, so too are all of our human tendencies. Some of us had special gifts even as humans and those gifts carried over to this part of our lives. Alice's gift is to see the future." Carlisle explained. "The same day that your parents passed away, she had many visions of you Bella. Many, many more than she has ever had of one person in only one viewing."

Bella thought about that for only the barest of moments before firing off her next questions. "What did you see Alice? Why do I need to be protected?"

"I saw you die. I watched you suffer through dozens of accidents, sever illnesses, even murders through the hands of different people, and even a few vampires." I knew by a few vampires she meant me and Jasper. She was at greatest risk around us. Especially me. I don't see how having her move in decreased the odds that I would kill her, but according to Alice's visions, it did. I sighed, but Alice continued.

"I decided there was a reason I was seeing these visions of you and I was determined to stop them from happening, I was going to protect you as soon as you got into Washington. The visions, well, they slowed down after I made that decision, but they were still showing themselves to me. My decision alone was not enough to keep you alive. I wanted my entire family to protect you, and if I could talk them into it, I saw one of us always aborting the tragedies before they could occur. We would be able to keep you safe. I stopped watching you die and began to watch you grow within our family and move on to college. That was what I wanted for you."

"Oh." Such a small word to sum up everything that she must be feeling and thinking. She was driving me mad with her silence.

"But not everyone feels the same way. Rosalie doesn't like me, Jasper does not want me here, and Edward cannot decide but he does not feel like I belong here either."

I stared at her in open mouthed amazement. How had she picked up on all that so quickly? She had spent most of the last week locked up in her room without any interaction between her and us. When had she noticed that? _I wonder how long we would have been able to hide this from her? She's very observant, even of small things._ Jasper wondered to himself. Yes, he was right. We would have been having this conversation in only a few days, but under much less friendly circumstances.

Rosalie, ever the eager one to air out her opinions voiced hers immediately. "I think it's a mistake to have you here. If anything happens, it will bring attention to my family that will make life very difficult. We just moved here. I like it here. We can go outside during the day and I can be as normal as a vampire can be. But when something happens to you, we will have to move like we are on the run. I will not let that happen because of some klutzy human." If Rosalie had been a man she would have spit at Bella's feet and then walked out of the room. I glared at her and received a haughty glare in return. She really thought she was right. I shook my head at her. She understood so little.

_My turn,_ Jasper thought just before answering Bella's question himself. "Bella, there are two reasons that I was, and still am, hesitant to accept you within our family. My first is the same reason that Rosalie has already put forth. The second is that having you here, in this house, is very difficult for me. I have more trouble than the rest of my family with controlling my vampire half. I do not want to hurt you, but if you were to cut yourself…" In his head Jasper saw a scenario play out in his head if Bella were to be cooking and cut her finger with a kitchen knife. He stopped himself before he could imagine how she would taste. It was taxing enough on him to smell her so close. I watched and heard the internal struggle between him and his demon before he was able to control himself enough to finish his answer to her.

"It's very likely that I would not control myself. Your life would rest in the hands of the rest of the family holding me back from you. Already you have become a part of this family, and I could not stand the thought of something happening to you. I do not want to be the force that took your life Bella." He looked surprised for a moment at his last words. _I really do feel that way. _He thought bewildered. _When did I accept her? Does it really matter? It would take much more for me to hurt her if I think of her as family._ Even with his realization that she was family, he did not dismiss the idea that he could hurt her. I suppose he knew his limits.

"It's okay Jasper. I feel better knowing why." She comforted him. I stared at her incredulously. She had to be the most unique human I had ever met. "From both of you actually." She included Rosalie in her thanks. How she could thank Rosalie for her childish outburst was something I could not understand. I do not think I could ever know how her mind worked even if I had several lifetimes to work on it. _Why am I thinking like I will have that much time with her? She'll move on in only a few years anyway, so don't get too attached._ I told myself.

She turned to me after a few seconds. "And you Edward? What is the reason that you do not want me here?"

I was surprised that she actually wanted to hear what I thought after showing her more disdain than even Rosalie had. I decided to be as truthful as I could. It had worked for Jasper and Rosalie both, so why not?

"I think it is wrong to expose you to this world. No human should have to know that the things that go bump in the night are real. Nor should they fear that the worst demons the human imagination had come up with are real. You should not have to live with those demons, Bella, even as civilized as we are." _How truthful should I be? When do I hit too much?_ I thought before continuing.

"As much trouble as Jasper has, it is nothing compared to what I have dealt with since you have appeared in my life. Your blood, it calls to me as no other human's blood has. You smell so delicious that every moment I can smell you; I have to keep myself from taking your life right then and there. It scares me to think that in a moment of weakness I could very easily take your life. I do not want to do that to you, and I do not want to do that to my family." It suddenly hit me that this entire time I had not focused on her blood, but only on her. Perhaps I had accepted her already as well. I would have to think on that more because I was just confused now.

"It is not safe for you to be here. We should never have let Alice talk us into this." No matter how used to her I became, I was still a danger to her. I really do not believe that she would be safer with us. _But I don't want anything to happen to her either._ Which way did I really want it? We had come together to answer her questions, and while she got answers, I only had more and more questions, but no one to get answers from. I sighed. I didn't know if I would ever get my answers.

Bella had been quiet for long enough that I was pretty sure she was done asking questions. She surprised us all though, "Alice, you said you saw me dying. What made you see me and why did you decide I was special enough to deserve your attention?"

_Did she really accept Alice's visions so easily?_

_She didn't need any proof? Really?_

_If she accepted that so easily, does that mean she has accepted everything else? _

_Oh, she's a quick one, this'll be fun! _

_No one accepts Alice that quickly. She must be dumber than I thought._

_Don't look so startled Edward, she's better at accepting things than you are._

I heard my family's startled thoughts as though they had yelled them.

"I don't know why I saw you, but every time I saw your death, I saw my family, our family, mourning and broken. Why your death would cause that when you had not been a part of it was beyond me at the time. Since then I have seen a few visions that hint at something more, something deeper, but I do not know what to make of them yet. It's too soon for me to say anything." I was unable to focus on what Alice's answer was as she was trying to stop a replay of all her visions and the after effects on our family again.

I winced and turned further within myself with every new image. I desperately wished that I had a way to turn my gift off, but the more I tried to avoid seeing them, the more prominent they became. Alice saw my discomfort and finally managed to stop, and added _Sorry Edward, you know I didn't mean too._ I nodded to let her know that I had heard her and accepted her apology.

Suddenly Jasper's thoughts jumped out at me. _Woah, where did this come from?_ He was trying to calm down her rising fear before it became hysteria. Why was it getting worse now? _Edward, try to calm yourself down, I'm going to need some help finding calm to help her._ I nodded and concentrated on centering my own thoughts and blocking out the image I suddenly saw in Alice's head of Bella hurting herself further in trying to get away from us.

Jasper managed to lay enough calming influence upon Bella that I could hear her heart slow down and her breathing became less ragged. _When had it gotten that bad?_ I wondered. It must have been so gradual that none of us had realized what she was feeling.

She surprised us all yet again. "You've a gift too, don't you Jasper?"

Emmett couldn't help it, _how'd she know?_ "How could you tell?"

"Well, he was staring at me so intently that I should have been panicking more, not calming down." She explained as if she were telling us how two and two equaled four.

"You're an observant little human, now aren't you, little sis." Emmett laughed. All the tension that had been building all evening seemed to burst with Emmett's laugh. Trust him to figure out a way to bring us all back down to Earth.

"So, do you have a gift too Jasper?" She continued, stubborn human that she was, she wanted answers.

"Yes I do. I can feel and, um, manipulate the emotions of people around me." I know he hated to use the word manipulate, but that's really what it was. I watched through his mind as he making Bella start to giggle and then down to crying before he carefully brought her back to where she had been. I looked at him quizzically, why hadn't he brought her up to a better mood. _She needs to understand and work her way through what she's feeling naturally bro. Don't worry about her, she'll be fine._

"Whoa… remind me not to make you upset, okay?" She joked. I had to chuckle at that, she had just learned a little about what he could do and had already figured out what his gift could really do.

"I do still need to think about this for a while. It's kinda hard to just accept the idea that you're all vampires. And even harder to get that you are vampires that don't want to hurt me, but want to help me. It's a lot for a girl to take in all at once." She pleaded with us.

_Finally! A reasonable response from her._ Jasper managed. I suppose her emotions and thoughts were congruent and matched what a person should be feeling in her situation.

We all stood up to take our leave and give her space as she had requested. I wandered over to my piano and began Esme's favorite song so quiet as to be a whisper. I felt Esme join me on the piano bench just listening.

"You did wonderful tonight, Edward." She told me as I finished the last few bars of the piece. I turned towards her.

"No, we all did what we thought was right. Whatever else happens is up to Bella." I told her. I really had not decided if what I did was good or bad, but only Alice could tell.

"You had best get up there before your brother starts something." Esme nodded towards the stairs.

I took a moment to listen and heard Emmett's booming voice, "he's a damned mind-reader. Hears anything someone is thinking about." A short pause, "Bella, you should see your face. It's as white, no it's whiter than I am."

I sighed, time for damage control. I quickly made my way upstairs, but apparently not before Alice.

"Now is when you tell Bella that Edward cannot hear her." She yelled. Ouch. When she yells, she means it.

"Is that true?" I heard Bella peep right as I got to her bedroom.

"Yes, it is true. It has been driving me mad not to be able to hear you." I told her as I casually leaned against her door.

"Well, I for one am glad. I don't need any snooping vampires in my head." I couldn't help but smile at her description. I could sometimes be called a snoop I suppose.

Then I really heard what she was saying. She was staying. I don't know when she made that decision.

_Run Bella, run_

_Stay Bella, stay._

I watched her celebrate with Emmett and Alice and even Jasper. They were all so happy. Would we be able to stay happy with her here amongst us. I know I could be. But if anything were to happen to her… we would all be devastated. For now though we could all be together and happy. Tonight, I can be happy for her, my new sister.

I flashed her my grin to let her know that I was happy that she was here. Her eyes clouded over and everything within her chest stopped for the barest of seconds, and then everything went back to normal, as if nothing had happened. _What did happen?_ I asked myself.

But it didn't matter. Bella was laughing, and the rest of our family was laughing. That was all that mattered.

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**A/N - Wordy, I know, but was it worth it? I dunno, you'll have to let me know. I've got some ideas of where this is going to go thanks to some of my favorite readers suggestions. So, if you want to be included in that fun, review and tell me. I'd be more than happy to work something in. I'm writing this for you and me. Thank you all again for being so spectacular to me, and of course my lovely interpretation of all our favorite characters. Don't worry, some of the more under played ones are soon to come out and play too. Promises.**


	8. Chapter 8 The Bet

**A/N – Sorry it took so long and for a short chapter (for me anyway). Between the darn Army making requirements of my time and my little internet USB card pooping out on me, this took longer than it should have. *sigh* Thank you all again for the wonderful reviews (103, holy crow you guys are awesome!) and all the alerts and favorites and everything. You are all so wonderful too me. So this is just filler with one or two important things hiding in there. Don't worry if you don't catch them right away, it'll all be coming up shortly.**

**Back by popular demand is more Esme/Bella time and more from Emmett. Don't worry, you'll get more Bella/Edward time, and soon ;-)**

**Disclaimer – All the characters belong to SM, I just play with them. **

**Bella's POV**

My mind was rebelling against my body's desire to wake up. It was still trying to understand the dreams I had over the night. It had started with breaking my leg at theater while hanging lights. I knew it was a bad idea, but I just could not let Emmett do something there and I not do it too. I was the one that had dragged him into it so I may as well join him in whatever he was doing. I decided that I wasn't going to be hanging them today, just in case it was foreshadowing anything.

Then I had to have surgery for my leg and came back home only to find out that the family I was living with, my family, were all vampires. The kind that drinks blood.

My mind usually is not that creative, and it obviously was having trouble making sense of all the dreams.

I pulled the covers off to make my way to the bathroom to see if a shower would not help calm me down before school.

Rather than get up I stared dumbfounded at the bulky cast that entombed my right leg. As soon as I saw it, my mind was finally able to register the dull ache that was slowly growing to a consistent pain in said leg.

My leg was broken. If I followed the rest of the sequence of my dream, I had surgery too. If I had surgery, then I had also sat down with my family for a family meeting. They answered my questions about what they were. My mind still could not really wrap itself around the revelations from that meeting.

Alice had demonstrated her super human capabilities. The rest of the family supposedly shared those abilities. Alice and Jasper and Edward had extra 'gifts'.

My brain was still struggling to rearrange my place in the world. If vampires are real and live amongst humans, then what else is real? Ghosts and witches and werewolves and elves… were they just as real as vampires too?

My world had suddenly become much larger and much scarier. How could I, as a mere human, survive in this new world? I would have to ask more questions and get more answers before I could figure all of this out. There were some important points that I needed to resolve within myself now.

I lived in a house full of vampires.

Some of those vampires were having a hard time controlling their desire for my blood.

I had no where else to go.

I decided I needed to talk with someone and try to figure out what my role within the family was going to be. _Hmm, not just their family, or my foster family, but _my_ family. I wonder when that changed._ Pushing that thought aside for later evaluation I softly called out, "Esme?"

If what Alice had told me was true, Esme would be able to hear me from anywhere in the house. I was not completely surprised when not three seconds later there was a light knock on my door right before Esme stepped into my room.

"Do you need help getting up to the bathroom or to go downstairs?" She asked me. It took me a moment to figure out why she would be asking that, but with my cast, it would be basically impossible to accomplish any of those feats myself. After a moments pause I shook my head. No, I did not want to get up until I had figure things out. Seeing my desire to stay put for now, Esme gently closed the door and walked to sit on the edge of my bed.

"I'm here Bella whether you need me to answer any questions or just need someone here with you." She reassured me. I gave her a small smile to let her know I appreciated her willingness to help and be whatever I needed from her.

I took a few moments to sort out my thoughts, then I asked my most pressing question, "It is all true isn't it? Last night really happened."

"Yes Bella. Last night really did happen. I am a vampire as is everyone else in the family." Esme's voice was careful, as though she was waiting for me to start freaking out.

"What does that mean for me?" I asked hesitantly.

"All that it means is that you have seven very fast, strong and gifted individuals looking out for you." She answered with a smile.

"But I'm causing so much trouble for everyone."

"Bella, we love you and consider you a part of this family. That means we take care of one another."

"And Jasper and Edward? Aren't I making things difficult for them?" Difficult didn't even begin to describe it if what they had told me last night was true.

"I won't deny that there may be some risk in having you here. Do you remember what Jasper said last night, how he sees you as family?" I nodded. "How hard would it be for you to hurt your family?" She asked me seriously.

"Well, it would be very hard and I would feel that I was guilty of the worst crime." She gave me a smile as reward for an honest answer.

"Then you understand how both Jasper and Edward feel about you."

"But Rosalie… she doesn't see me as family." I was upset by that more than I wanted to think.

"Rosalie may take some time to come around, but since we see you as family, she will do what she would for any of us. She may seem mean and jealous now, but just give her time and you'll be surprised by her loyalty." I nodded. "You really are part of this family, Bella. That's all that matters."

I was overcome by so many strong emotions that I was unable to tell Esme thank you: Joy, gratitude, sorrow, guilt, and above all else, love. I felt the tears begin to fall down my cheeks, but there was a smile upon my face. If I had been able to, I would have scrambled to Esme and given her the biggest hug I could. She must have been able to see my intentions because she quickly, for me that is, moved to me and me a strong hug instead.

"Thank you, Esme." I finally managed to tell her through my sniffles. Crying, even out of happiness, can be as embarrassing as crying out of anger or sorrow or embarrassment.

"Good, now that you are already wet, what say you to a nice shower to get rid of some of the stress from the last few days?"

My eyes lit up for all of two seconds before they dropped down to my cast.

"Um, is that possible with my cast?" I asked.

"Don't worry, Carlisle showed me how to wrap it up and Alice's shower has a very cozy seat as part of it already. She said to go ahead and use it." She gave me a wonderful grin I couldn't help but return. "And after that it's breakfast for you. Then you are going to help me finish designing your room."

I looked around the room we were sitting in. "But it's already done." I told her. If this wasn't done, then what did done look like?

"This is temporary." She gestured to the whole room. "I did not know you, so I went generic. Now that you are here to stay and will be home with me for the next week or two, you are going to help me get it right."

I was overwhelmed by her kindness and love – just how special did this family think I was? They put so much effort into me and making me comfortable. All I could was smile and shake my head, not to say 'no' but just to show my disbelief.

She knew what I meant and rather than respond, she just picked me up and rushed me to Alice's room.

I was so startled that I closed my eyes in alarm and only opened them after I had been set down, some two seconds later.

It took me a few minutes to recover enough to mumble, "Please warn me next time. That will take a while to get used to." All I got in response was a tinkling laugh.

**Emmett's POV**

Lunch time is the hardest time of the day for me, for us. It is the one time that we are forced to deal with the overwhelming scent of all the student body in one enclosed space.

And it was so boring!

There was absolutely nothing fun to do. No interesting conversation to over hear, no wrestling with Jasper. I couldn't even take my wife and enjoy the secluded spots within the school and brighten both our days. She did not want to deal with getting herself put back together and god help me if _anything_ happened to her hair.

Couldn't keep a guy from fantasizing though. I took a few moments to think about some of the kinkier things I wanted to do with my luscious wife before a very pointed cough from Edward interrupted them.

"Hey, I was just getting to the good part!" I complained. Rose was never more beautiful than she was when her clothing was disheveled and her hair tousled. Yum.

My thoughts started right where they had left off and Edward growled, effectively ending them.

I pouted, "you're just upset 'cause you ain't getting any." Rose slapped me upside the head as she tended to do when she was upset with me. Except this time there was a promise to continue those thoughts later. She knew what I was thinking. I grinned at her and got another smack. Oh yeah, this was going to be fun tonight.

Alice and Jasper both grimaced. She may not be able to hear my thoughts, but she saw my plans and he could feel the lust, so I had effectively sexually frustrated my brothers and sister. Score!

Rather than start something here at school with Edward or Rose, I returned to my original thoughts, though I made a mental note to continue where I had left off when we got home.

So no conversation and no wrestling. It's as if the world was slowly trying to torture me to death. Well more dead than I already am.

Today was an exception to the rule, excluding my achievement just now.

There were all sorts of crazy rumors running rampant through the school about Bella. I couldn't help but laugh at some of the more ridiculous ones.

Jessica Stanley was telling Lauren Mallory one of them right now. "I heard that she was trying to commit suicide. She just couldn't handle the stress of living with the Cullens of top of everything else, you know."

I snickered, she hadn't heard that from anyone, she had made it up on the spot to impress the other girl. Edward gave a half-hearted laugh, but I noticed his eyes had darkened around the edges. _What's got your panties in a bunch? I thought you were used to this by now._

He just growled at me. That was getting really annoying. I just laughed, something was really irritating him and I wasn't going to let up until he told me what.

"I don't like that they are talking about her like that." So that's what it was about. Cold and aloof Edward's shell was breaking… I wonder what that meant.

"Oh, you should hear what Newton is going to say." Alice quipped.

She had such a big grin on her face and Edward was merely murderously glaring at her. I knew she was blocking her thoughts and I loved it. I never bothered since it usually wasn't worth the trouble, but it was fun to watch Alice at work.

That was when I heard Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley as they walked into the cafeteria. "I think Cullen convinced his brother to push her off so he could catch her and try to be the hero." Mike was telling him. "It won't work though. She'll see right through it and come running to someone that will really care for her." His chest puffed out. He looked just like a peacock trying to parade around.

That alone would have been enough to have me laughing, but the look on Edward's face was priceless! I burst out laughing, holding my sides to keep from pounding the table to pieces. I scared away a few freshmen at the next table.

"So Edward… are you… gonna ask me… to push her… down the stairs next?" I managed to say between laughs.

Jasper and Alice were laughing just as hard and Rosalie was glaring at all of us. She hated it when someone called attention to us. Her glares only made me laugh more 'cause they were nothing on Edward's.

"Or we could try the roof next time. I think it's higher." Jasper added. Now Edward had to split his death glare between both of us.

"My man," I high fived Jasper, "I think it'll work. After we break her other leg though, nothing like two broken legs to make a gal fall in love." I smiled over at Edward before continuing, "that is, if someone wants said gal to fawn over him. He probably wouldn't know what to do with her once she did." I couldn't help but add that last part. Edward _never_ looked at the girls that threw themselves at his feet. He liked to play the brooding musician role too much.

"Oh really? Do you think so Emmett?" He shot back at me. "I bet I can woo any girl here and have them eating out of my hand in a week."

My eyes lit up. I loved to bet with anyone about anything.

"You're on buddy, except it's not just any girl." I smiled evilly, my earlier thoughts having given me inspiration that was just perfect for this moment. "You've gotta woo Bella. It's only fair since you can't read her mind." I rubbed my hands in anticipation. "Now, if I win, I get to tell her about our little bet _and_ I get rights to say whatever I want about you and your 'charm' with the ladies until Esme tells me to stop." I was liking this game a lot.

"Fine, but if I win you don't get to say anything about me and my 'charm with the ladies' until we start school next _and_ you will immediately stop thinking about my sister in any way that I deem inappropriate while in my presence." He nodded to Rose so there was no doubt about who he meant by 'sister'.

I thought about it for a moment. "Deal." We shook hands across the table, me with a huge grin. I knew I was going to win. He was just as determined to win, but not as confident. He had his work cut out for him with Bella and he knew it.

"She's not even here! You don't have to keep this charade anymore!" Rose screamed at me. We were standing outside the theater and she obviously did not want me to continue my new hobby.

"But babe, I want too. They let me play with all sorts of fun toys." I complained. I really had enjoyed messing with the stuff in the tech booth and lending a hand when they needed help setting things up on stage yesterday.

Plus, Bella would be disappointed if she knew I stopped while she was gone.

Rose just turned on her heel and left. I knew she was mad at me and I would probably have to beg and crawl on my knees for hours before she would even look at me, but the make-up sex would be great.

Smiling, I walked in the theater and went to find Chris.

"Great, I wasn't sure if you were going to be coming back again." He started, barely looking up at me. "Would you mind finishing with the lights? We're behind schedule and really need to get the stage set up as well."

"No problem." I told him and strolled down the catwalk. I still liked the idea of playing with Rose up here. It would be a lot of fun.

It didn't take me too long to get the rest of the lights hung. I worked a little faster than I probably should have, but no one was paying any attention, least of all Chris. He was distracted by something else on the sound board.

"Damn it, why won't it work?" He mumbled to himself.

I decided to make my presence known to him before I got back to the booth. There was no point in scaring him even if he was too distracted to pay attention to his instincts telling him that I was not what he thought I was. "What's the problem Chris?"

"This piece of junk is determined to frustrate the hell out of me and just will not work like it's supposed to."

"Why don't you take a break and I'll try messing with it and see if I can find anything in the manual." I told him as I gently pushed him out of the way. He barely nodded before he stalked out of the room and down to speak with Ms. Morgan about the technical difficulties the technical director was having with the technical equipment. It was just too much!

I started messing with the machine and was able to deduce the problem and fix it in about four seconds. Of course, Chris couldn't have heard the slight sparking from a faulty wire inside the board or the disconnect due to extra carbon build up from said sparking wire, but hey, not everyone can be perfect.

After an appropriate amount of time, I turned it back on and cranked out the Tool cd that had been in the stereo system hooked up through the sound board.

The looks that Chris gave me were somewhere between annoyed and grateful. I smirked and gave him the thumbs up sign.

The actors had decided that they couldn't act under such extreme conditions and demanded that I either turn it down or they get a break. Feigning ignorance, I turned it up louder. Schism was one of my favorite songs after all.

Ms. Morgan apparently decided that this fire was not going to be put out easily and told everyone to be back in fifteen minutes in their set construction clothes for the last part of rehearsal.

I worked with Chris to set up the lights on stage and helped out when I was needed with lifting or moving the heavier stage props or furniture.

In short, I was having a blast and actually felt useful. It's not like I don't feel like that at times with my family, but usually they just see me as the inappropriate and immature kid that never grew up.

They were right too. But I still had the side of me that liked to help and actually do something worthwhile. The only time they used my strength or skills was when they needed help with a fight or demolishing something, rarely for making or fixing something.

I was suddenly able to see why Bella liked working behind the scenes. She got to help and be very useful, but did not have to deal with all the attention and praise that others got.

She was special, that's for sure.

I decided I was going to try to talk Carlisle into letting her come here even if she wasn't going to school yet so she could get back to what she enjoyed so much. I wouldn't let her do anything stupid like hanging lights or play with wires or anything.

I wasn't as smart as some people in my family, but I wasn't slow either. Bella just required extra careful handling.

Plus, I wanted to get another chance at our bet. I was determined that one of us should have won and I was going to make it be me.

**A/N – Again, short, but hopefully still fun. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas that you want added or some fun pranks for Bella and Emmett to play. Edward POV coming up, so please don't kill me for not having it here. Please review and give me any of your thoughts, suggestions, remarks, criticism, whatever. Help me make this story even better!**


	9. Chapter 9 Finally, Acceptance

**A/N - Thank you all so very much for your kind reviews and words and other correspondence! I always jump for joy every time I see a new message in my inbox, whether it is from review or an add or a favorite. I have tried to visit each person's home page as a 'get to know you better' sort of thing, but I know I have missed a few people... Sorry! Please know that you are all loved!**

**On to the story**

**Disclaimer - All characters belong to SM, I am just playing with them a bit.**

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**Alice's POV**

"Penny for your thoughts." Edward offered as I skipped up to the Volvo.

"Not a chance buster! I want to watch this unfold before my eyes just like everyone else." I scolded him. Well, I tried too anyway. I was trying to keep my laughter from my tone, with no success of course.

"What's your plan, Romeo?" Jasper asked as he snaked his arms around my waist. I tilted my head up and gave him a wide smile. Edward may be trying to play Bella's Romeo, but I already had my Romeo, and Jasper was a far better lover and husband than Juliet could have ever wished for.

Edward tried to ignore him and quickly jumped in the car. Jasper and I followed suit. I slipped into the back with Jasper rather than the front. I got odd looks from both men, but they knew better than to question by now. Emmett wasn't going to be joining us today, but no one needed to know that just now. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders.

"I'm guessing by the lack of response, you don't have a plan." Jasper mused as though to himself. I knew where this was going even without my psychic gift and joined in.

"Well, we can rule out the dance scene. Bella couldn't even _walk_ before she had the cast, so much as dance." I pointed out as I grabbed Jasper's hand in my own and left them in his lap.

"The next scene was the balcony. I'm sure falling into Romeo's waiting arms and another ER visit would be her perfect idea of romance." Jasper countered.

"Oh, what about the marriage? That was sweet!" I asked.

"Yes, but the only minister we know is Carlisle, and I'm pretty sure he would not go with it. I wonder if we could get Emmett to get one of those online licenses?" Jasper asked out loud.

"Or they could just skip straight to the wedding night." I mused, leaning in closer to Jasper.

"Or maybe we could re-visit ours instead." Jasper whispered in my ear. I love the way this man thinks! I giggled and turned to kiss him.

Edward cleared out his throat after several very short moments. "Could you please refrain from doing that in my car?" He asked in a not so polite voice.

"Think of it as lessons for how to woo a woman." Jasper said huskily before he turned back to me. Rather than return to our kiss, we did respect Edward's wishes and just got lost in each other's eyes instead. I reached up and traced his jaw line with my hand, but before I could trace much further I felt Rose get in the front seat and slam the door.

She was pissed.

Jasper and I pulled away from each other as Edward quickly pulled out from the school and started the short drive home.

"Don't worry Rosalie, he's not replacing you. Listen to him tonight and you'll understand." I promised her. She shot me a glare, but I noticed that her eyes lost some of their intensity. I nodded to myself. Now that I had set up the stage for Emmett he better not change his mind.

I needed him to be available for tomorrow nights games.

Now I needed to set everything up for Rosalie to talk to Bella tonight before Emmett got home so Emmett would have an audience.

I knew that Esme was planning on going hunting as soon as we got home. Carlisle was working an extra shift since one of the other doctors had called in sick. Emmett was going to stay at school until around 7 pm. That means I had to get Edward and Jasper to go hunting with Esme. I would go as well so there was no excuse for them not to talk.

"Jasper, I've noticed your eyes are getting a little dark. Do you want to go hunting with me when we get home?" Almost as though it were an after thought I added, "you too Edward. If you're going to be playing Romeo we better make sure you don't eat Juliet."

Jasper broke out and even Rosalie cracked a small smile. Edward just glared through the windshield. He'll come around.

Sometimes it gets exhausting trying to set things in motion without anyone realizing that I was orchestrating everything, but it did give me something to do.

The rest of the car ride was quiet, but luckily it was short. I bounced out of the car before it had even stopped and waltzed in the house to say hi to Bella. I saw her lying on the couch with a book in hand.

"Hi Bella!" I said as I jumped on the couch just below her feet. Her head shot up in surprise as her heart suddenly started to race. I smiled.

"Oh, um, hi Alice." Bella finally managed.

"How was your day? Did you have fun staying home from school? What did you and Esme decide to do with your room?" I spilled. I just got a confused stare back.

"Wait, one at a time Alice! And how did you know what Esme and I were doing?" She asked.

"Psychic, remember?" I told her, pointing to my head for emphasis.

"Oh. That. I forgot." She said somewhat faintly. I barely registered the fact that my siblings and husband had made their way upstairs for to do their own stuff.

"Don't worry. I get that all the time. Well, only from other vampires, never from a human, but it's the same thing, right?" I didn't want to overwhelm her further, so I stalled from telling her that everyone but Rosalie was leaving for a moment by looked at how she was doing. This included an inventory of her clothes.

"Bella! Are you really wearing sweat pants!?" I asked, startling her and everyone else in the house.

"Yes? Is there something wrong with that?" She questioned.

"Everything is wrong! We must go shopping soon. I will not let you wear sweats while you live in this house." I told her sternly. Did she not know _anything_ about clothing?

"If I'm only sitting here, then what do my clothes matter?" Now she was confused.

"Because you never know who is going to be looking at you nor do you know when you are going to be making a trip to the ER." I sized her up again. It was somewhere she was going to be getting well acquainted with, even with my family looking after her. There was only so much seven vampires could manage.

She pouted, "My sweats are just fine."

"Bella, I was going to get you a new wardrobe anyway. Now you just get to help me pick it out." I told her. I already had so many ideas of the clothing I was going to get for her and where all we would go.

"What is up with you people doing all this stuff for me?" She huffed. "I'm not that special." She whispered to herself.

"Bella, yes you are special. No other human would willingly sit here with a vampire at her feet. No other human has been able to wriggle her way into our vampire hearts. Just by that alone you are very special." I told her. Before she could try to argue with me, I jumped in with another thought. "We'll continue this later, right now Edward, Jasper and I are going to, um, hunt. Will you be all right here with Rosalie and Esme?" I asked her sweetly.

"Esme was at the couch as soon as the words left my mouth. "Actually, I was planning on hunting when you all got home as well. Maybe I could join you?" I nodded, probably a bit too quickly, but really did not care. "Bella, you'll be fine with Rosalie." I could hear the rest of that sentence without being the mind reader of the family - _I'll make sure of it._

"If you think so." She said hesitantly. She really did not trust Rosalie at all. Hopefully that will change in an hour or two.

"I'll go talk to her right now and let her know what's going on." Bella just nodded her head and picked her book back up. Esme gently patted her shoulder and ran up the stairs to do just that.

I smiled and gave Bella small kiss on her forehead before I went up to change. A few minutes later Esme, Edward, Jasper and I were running through the backyard. I could only hope that Rosalie would take advantage of the time with Bella.

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**Rosalie's POV**

They all left me with the human and even had the nerve to ask me to watch after her.

I felt betrayed by my family. Jasper and Edward had stopped saying that she shouldn't be here. I was the only one who saw how much of a danger she was to us, but no one would listen to me. They kept trying to make her comfortable and change how we lived to do so.

We could not just do whatever we wanted to at night; we had to be quiet now. We had to make and smell human food. Edward and Jasper were hunting more. Esme and Alice were spending more time making things easier for _her_. We had to have so many more family meetings because of her.

All of that was but a single flame in comparison to the two things that hurt me the most.

She was still human and she took my Emmett away from me.

The first was no different from just about every other creature that we came in contact with. They were all fault-ridden humans. But they didn't know what I was. They never knew that the beautiful goddess they worshipped when they looked at me was a false mask for the demon creature that I am.

The second though, that action I could not forgive her for. Emmett was mine, and I would not let anyone take him away from me whether they were human or vampire.

Rather than just stand and stare at the door like an idiot, I grabbed the TV remote and sat on the couch as far away from Bella as possible. I saw her shudder when I walked past her which made me smile. At least she was smart enough to realize that I was something to fear.

I began flipping through the channels almost too quick for me to even see what was on. I had to stop myself from glaring at her as her heart was racing and I could smell the adrenaline rushing through her blood.

Her tantalizing human blood. I could imagine what it would taste like as it slid down my throat. How easy it would be to reach over and open an artery with a fingernail and just let it flow into my mouth. Only after her heart started to give out and stopped pumping her blood would I sink my teeth into her and drain her of all of it. It would be so gratifying to hear her final gasp when my teeth punctured her skin…

I shook myself from my waking dream and nightmare. And not a moment too late either.

I was hovering over Bella and saw her eyes opened as wide as they could get, un-blinking. All the blood had drained from her face, making her look as pale as I am. Her mouth was open and her chest rising and falling so fast that I'm sure there was no oxygen making it into her blood stream. Her heart was pumping so fast as to be fluttering.

Groaning, I pulled myself away from her and ran to a window, yanked it open, and breathed in the clean air. I had to get her scent out of my nose and start thinking clearly again.

Minutes later, I turned back to her. "Now do you know why you don't want to live with _vampires?_" I spit the last word out. I hated what I was and what I had come so close to doing. I had a perfect record. I had never tasted human blood. And she almost ruined it for me.

"Because that's what we are. One stray thought, one moment of not paying attention and then 'oops, there goes Bella.'" I yelled at her. I was pissed at what had almost happened and it was her fault. Her fault that I had almost killed her. Her fault that our family was almost exposed. Her fault that my record would no longer be clean. Everything was her fault. _No it's not, Rose, and you know it. _I ignored the little voice whispering in my head. I knew it was right, but it was easier to blame her.

"I know Rosalie." She whispered hoarsely. "But… I have no where else to go. No other reason to try for more." She shrugged. I narrowed my eyes at her. No other reason to try? She had everything! She had her life, she could get married and have babies and eat and drink and sleep and die! Did she not realize what she had? She had everything!

"Please hear me out." She begged. I only nodded to indicate I would hear for now. "My father died two years ago from a stroke. I lost my mother and step-father in an accident two weeks ago. When I lost her, I lost my best-friend as well. I have no other family. I had no close friends, no one that I saw outside of school." Her eyes begged me to understand. "I don't do anything great or wonderful. I am not all that smart. The only things I do well are to read, tech, and fall over anything."

"Why should we care then? Why should we try to keep you alive?" I asked her bitterly. I wanted to hate her, but she was trying to make me like her or at least feel pity for her.

"I don't know Rosalie." She looked at me with tears falling down her cheeks before she looked down at her lap again. "I was just putting one foot in front of the other with no intention of looking forward. Now, here, with your family," she bit into her bottom lip at her pause, "I think, um, I think there may be something that may be worth looking forward to." She rushed through the last sentence and her cheeks were bright red. Her shoulders were hunched and she braced herself for whatever my response might be.

I looked down at her, my finger tapping on my lip as I thought about what she had told me.

"So you would rather live with a family, a coven, of vampires than try to live with humans." I clarified.

"I guess so." She shrugged.

I changed tactics; she had still taken my husband away from me.

"What are you going to do now that you are here?" I pushed. Rather than answer right away, she took her time to think. I recognized it as the same face she had used last night when she was trying to understand that we were vampires.

"Well, I was just hoping to make it through graduation." She finally answered. All that time she took to think and that was all she came up with? Is she stupid?

"Is that all?"

"Considering what Alice was telling me, that's quite an accomplishment." She shot back at me. Oh, there was some fight in her still. I smiled internally. If we had maybe met under different circumstances I may have come to like her.

"If that's all then why do you have to drag Emmett with you to your little play dates?" I sneered.

"Is that what all this is really about Rosalie? You think I'm stealing Emmett from you?" She huffed. "For your information, he can't stop talking about you and how much he loves you and can't wait to get home to you." She suddenly stopped and appeared to think better of snapping at a vampire that had only minutes before struggled not to bite her.

"He's like my big brother and treats me like his little sister. He said he wanted to do something new since he was the only one without a 'thing'. You have your cars, Edward has his music, Esme has her designing, Jasper has his philosophy, Alice her fashion, Carlisle his medicine. All Emmett has is his love for you and his pranks. He wants to do more, to have more to offer." She looked like she was finished, but added as an after thought, "he has not told me this, but I think he also wants to be able to show you something he accomplished and have you be proud of him."

I stared at her. Was that why he was still willing to go to the damn theater even if I wasn't there and Bella wasn't there? Did he really feel like he needed to do something to prove his worth? Was it not enough for him that I loved him and everything about him, even his childish pranks?

But what Bella said made too much sense for me to just dismiss it out of hand.

"Why do you think that Bella?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, he is always so proud of you. Everything you say or do he just grabs onto it and relishes it. I can guarantee that right now, he is trying to think of a good way to bring himself back into your good graces. I'm assuming that since you all came home from school and he's not here that he stayed for rehearsal, and you are not happy about that. He's prepared to deal with the consequences now of you not being happy if it means that a few weeks from now he can show you everything he's done and you may be proud of him."

Damn, this girl was insightful. Even though she knew I did not like her, she was still trying to make me feel better and ignoring the fact that I may get even more pissed at her for seeing that when I did not.

"Doesn't he know that it's enough for him to just want to stay by my side?" I wondered out loud. I could not say anything more to let her know whether I thought she was right or wrong, but I had already decided that I would stop treating her as a leper. I may not be able to see her as part of my family yet, but I would not hold it against her if everyone else did.

That was apparently the cue for the end of this conversation as we both returned to our earlier tasks, me watching TV, and Bella reading her book. But now the silence was more tolerable. We were waiting for the same thing, for our family to return home.

* * *

**Edward's POV**

My mind was racing as I tried to hatch out one scheme after another to woo Bella. Each one ended in disaster in my head and I was getting more and more frustrated.

I found my hand was running through my hair. Again. It must be standing on end from the number of times I have done that today.

Even running and hunting did not soothe me like they normally did.

_Edward, man, stop the worrying! You're gonna scare her away from the madman look you're sporting._ Jasper's thoughts invaded my own.

I looked like a madman? I took a look at myself from within his mind and cringed at what I saw. Einstein's hair had nothing on mine and my eyes were wide and darting. _Just as if I were mad._

Jasper felt the change in my emotions and started to laugh. _That's better at least._ He cocked his head to the side. _Since when does the cool and collected Edward have trouble with nerves around a little human girl?_

"Since I cannot know what she is thinking. That's when." I muttered. She was such a mystery to me. Especially now that she had not run away from us. Her thoughts would be fascinating to listen to, different from any one else's but I would never know. I could only try to piece it all together from what she said, but what she said never made sense!

_Edward! Snap out of it dude. Worrying again._ I gave Jasper a sheepish grin. "Thanks bro."

We were approaching the house and I listened carefully to Rosalie's thoughts to see if anything had happened. All I heard was her inner turmoil about what she was going to say to Emmett when he got home in a few minutes. These thoughts had a different tenor to them, but I could not place my finger on what was different. I made another sweep through to find Bella's thoughts, but for all I could tell, she may as well not even be there.

I shied away from Alice's mind as she was singing the entire Moulin Rouge soundtrack and the song of the hour was _Sparkling Diamonds._ It inspired all new reasons for me to despise musicals.

Jasper's thoughts were more interesting though. _They both feel… content and a little pissed and… relieved, but not comfortable. What happened while we were gone?_ I looked at him and he shrugged, that was the best he could give me.

It was better than what I could have expected. When we had left I was not expecting the house to be whole, nor Bella to be alive. Some very small part of me would have been relieved so that I would be let off the hook for the bet. But the rest of me would have been hurt and dismayed and murderous. Even that little bit would have felt that way too, just with relief thrown in as well.

_Why would it have hurt so much to lose Bella? How does this girl have such a strong hold on me?_ I wondered again.

I had to stop thinking like that and put my thoughts to this new challenge. The Bet.

I had one week to woo the one girl in the world whose thoughts were a mystery to me. I did not know what she would enjoy or even what her favorite color or flowers were. This turned from being such a trivial pursuit to being a huge pain.

We slowed down as we walked in the back door. Jasper and I took the opportunity to get re-acquainted with Bella's scent.

It hit me again like a ton of bricks as venom automatically coated my teeth and tongue, and the burn in my throat that I had just sated began to smolder. The feeling was similar to having swallowed a hot coal and having it lodge in the very back of my throat.

A few more carefully controlled breaths and I felt that I had the monster under control. I still thirsted for her blood, but would be able to control it. As long as she did not somehow manage to prick herself with a needle or fall upon a knife or break a toe nail or whatever else Bell could manage to hurt herself.

Alice and Esme had already run up front to see how everything went with Rosalie and Bella. Without having actually heard her thoughts - damn soundtracks - I was certain Alice had set all this up so Bella Rosalie would speak and get rid of whatever they harbored against each other. I couldn't help but smile at my sister. She would never expect a thank you or any response from us, but she always did little things to make our lives easier. Just in this case it was a bigger thing.

Jasper and I joined the women in the family room and took our respective seats. In this case it meant that I was sitting on the last cushion of the couch Bella was laying on.

"Hello Bella." I greeted her. She looked up from her book with a startled expression upon her face and her heart skipped a beat. I laughed, "Is it so surprising to get a hello from me?"

"N-no, I had not s-seen you walk in. Hi Edward." She stuttered. I watched in fascination as the blood rushed and turned her face the most delicious shade of red. I groaned internally and heard it echoed by Jasper. Her blushes were adorable and made me feel protective of her at the exact same time that they made her so much more appetizing. I shoved my monster away again and was about to tease her for stuttering when I heard her stomach rumble.

"Oh! Let me go make your dinner." Esme rushed out of the room, the rest of her thoughts chagrined that she had forgotten to get Bella's dinner ready before she left to hunt.

"So, um, how'd the hunt go?" Bella asked in a small voice.

"Did you just ask us about hunting?" I asked incredulously. She nodded. "Bella, you are the oddest human I have ever met." I shook my head. Of all the small talk she could have chosen, she decided to ask about our 'meal.'

"Don't worry about him," Alice glared at me, "he's just a fuddy duddy." Bella startled to giggle.

"I am not! Just because she asks the most ridiculous questions does not make me a_ fuddy duddy_." I huffed. Alice just rolled her eyes.

"And to answer your question, unlike _some_ people, it went fine." All we got was a nod in response. I get insulted and Bella was only trying to make small talk. Great.

"Oh, Bella?" I had seen her book on her lap and it reminded me that I had picked up her homework from her teachers. She looked back at me, "I just remembered that your teachers had given me your homework assignments."

Her eyes opened wide and she shuddered. Did I say something wrong? "I forgot all about that. Now I'm two days behind and it'll only get worse." She muttered. "Um, I guess I should get started on it tonight so I don't get too far behind." She said louder. She obviously had not meant for anyone to hear the first part. Knowing your family had supernatural hearing and breaking old habits were two different things.

I grabbed her assignments from my bag and ran up to her room to get her backpack and ran back down to the couch. I pulled the coffee table closer to the couch and moved another chair so that I was sitting at the corner where her head was. We had more or less the same classes so I could go over the different lessons with her and it would just be easier near her head than near her feet. Or so I was trying to convince myself.

"Knowing you all can move like that, and seeing, are two completely different things." She motioned at me from where she sat.

"I would guess so." I laughed at how similar her thoughts were to mine earlier. "Do you want me to refrain from vampire speed or strength when around you?" I had to ask, hoping she would say no.

"Of course not Edward!" She sounded shocked. "This is your home first. I'm the intruder, remember? Do whatever you normally would." She thought for a moment, "Except, warn me before you pick me up or race around while holding me. My brain cannot keep up with the speed quite yet." She blushed again.

Luckily Esme came in with her food. It smelled horrible. I took the opportunity to get settled in as her tutor and went over her classes and the homework with her for hours.

I missed Emmett getting home and Rosalie going upstairs with him.

I missed Carlisle coming home and leaving with Esme for their bedroom.

I even missed Alice and Jasper find their way to their own room as well.

It was just Bella and I downstairs and it did not feel as uncomfortable as it should have.

I was enjoying a joke with her at our biology teacher, Mr. Banner's expense, when I noticed her yawn. I immediately sobered up and started closing all the books and moving the furniture back to how it had been.

"Does Esme do an inspection to make sure everything is perfect before she goes to sleep?" Bella joked.

I gave her my crooked grin and noticed the little hiccup in her heart again. "No, but you are getting tired and your body is still trying to recover from quite a bit of trauma. You need to get some sleep." I answered her.

"But I don't want to go to sleep yet." She may have even convinced me of that, except she yawned just before I was about to say 'fine, have it your way.' Instead I smiled and gently picked her up.

"Now you close your eyes, Bella." I whispered, much too deep for my liking. Having her this close to me… it was heavenly. She was so warm and smelled so wonderful. She also trusted me completely because she closed her eyes when I asked. It was that moment of trust the made sure the monster never managed to show his face before I shoved him away again.

I took a moment to enjoy the feel of her in my arms. I even thought I felt the shadow of an electrical current humming through my body. Bella started to yawn again and pulled herself up a bit and hid her face in my chest, one hand curled against her stomach, the other resting on my chest above my dead heart. If I had been in heaven before, now I was flying above cloud nine. I smiled down at the top of her head before I began to move up the stairs.

I managed to pull her blankets back without waking her and gently, oh so gently, kissed her mahogany hair before I laid her down in her bed. I tucked her under the covers, my hands hovered above her shoulders waiting to make sure did not wake up. After a few lengthy moments, I turned to leave her room. I turned back towards her when I heard her shift and whispered, "Edward? G'night."

I smiled at her, "Good night Bella. Sweet dreams." I closed her door with a quiet click and wandered down the hall. Rather than make it to my room, which was my destination, I found myself at my piano bench downstairs. I did not question how as this sometimes happened when I needed to work through my thoughts.

My hands found their way to the familiar ivory keys and began to trace a strange new melody. I did not know where it was going, so I let my heart lead while my brain pondered the new mystery that was Isabella Swan.

* * *

**A/N - So there be chapter 9 - please let me know what you think about it. What do you love, what do you hate, what do you want to see? I'm working my way up to some fun fluff, so please enjoy Edward's confusion as it is here, because I find it to be one of those cute "aw" moments personally. Again, thank you all so very much for reading, for adding, for reviewing, whatever. It's has been great to see! I hope to see you all soon at chapter 10 :-)**


	10. Chapter 10 Movie Night

**A/N – First, I am again going to have to thank everyone for taking their time and reviewing my story. It really makes me smile every time I see a new one in my mail box. The same holds true for every person that adds my story to their alerts or favorites list. I know I don't reply to you, but I hope you know that I am very excited to have you read this!**

**I'm sorry this is so late, I had planned to have it out by Tuesday, but just could not get it to read right. I'm still not satisfied, but you all deserve it and I cannot make it any better right now, so here it is.**

**Disclaimer – SM owns everything Twilight but she is kind enough to let us play!**

**Bella's POV**

I can't believe how easy it has been to live with my family. It was less than a week ago that I learned that these people who had been kind enough to take me in were not human. They were vampires, but each of them represented humanity better than most of the people I had known in school and at work. It amazed me more and more everyday just how different they were, but also how hard they tried to be 'normal'.

Take for instance the past three days.

Emmett had talked Carlisle and Esme into taking me to set construction on Saturday. I wasn't going to be on stage, thank goodness, but was setting up the sequences on the light board up in the tech booth instead.

There is nothing more boring than programming fades and changing intensity of each individual light for the different aspects of a play. But, I was in my element here. Chris checked up on me occasionally, which was fine by me. It would have been better if he would stop apologizing for last week. It's not his fault I'm an accident waiting to happen and I volunteered to hang up the damned lights. He just would not listen to me.

I did welcome the breaks none the less since we were not putting on a play but a musical which is even more tedious when it comes to lighting. And sound too, surprising, right? That would be my project for next weekend.

But even being in my element was not what made it a great day. It was watching Emmett while he was helping on stage.

He was everywhere: helping a kid lift something here, adding his strength to put something else together, aligning and measuring pieces that were still being built so they fit perfectly, setting out the marks on stage for the actors and stage techs and fixing any moving parts that had decided they were too old to want to work. It was amazing. I felt a bit of pride that my big brother was doing as much as he could to help and was having fun doing it. I also felt pretty awesome since I was the one that had more or less introduced him to the theater world.

_Into the Woods_ was the show we were teching, as I finally bothered to find out. The only reason I even found out was because the actors would not stop singing their lines and the main theme song is repeated about six too many times. I get the feeling that years from now I will still hear the tune if those three words are used in sequences.

I was not the only one that was annoyed by the slow torture that I was being subjected to. During the lunch break, Emmett began his complaining too.

"If they don't stop with that song, I am going to be hurting a certain Baker or Red Riding Hood."

"I know exactly what you mean!" I laughed, "I'm going to be hearing the song years from now and I don't even have perfect vampire memory."

"Since when did you become an expert on vamps?" He teased me.

"Just something I picked up on somewhere." I was rewarded with his big booming laugh reverberating through the tech booth. Some of the kids on stage looked up to see what was going on, but after a moment decided that he wasn't doing anything worthy of their attention.

Emmett was sitting next to going through the CDs that we were going to use through the show for different sound effects and I saw the soundtrack for _Into the Woods_ on the table in front of him. I suddenly had an idea of what to do with our Baker problem.

"Emmett, what say you to a bit of fun?" His eyes lit up and he turned his full attention to me. "You see, I think the Baker needs to have his time in the spot light…" I quickly explained the rest of my plan to him.

"Bella, that is brilliant!" He was rubbing his hands together and already moving around the booth to get everything set up for our little prank. I programmed a few extra sequencesinto the light board that I would have to remember to erase later.

Now we just had to wait for our Baker to make his entrance. We didn't have to wait long.

"Into the woods, it's time to go, it may be all in vain I know. Into the woods, but even so, I have to take the journey…" By this time some of the others joined in, but we had already chosen our target.

Emmett had the CD running, but the cool thing about our system was that we could speed it up or slow it down. We had it playing at a low volume but I was going to be increasing it soon. Emmett ran out to a spot light, gave me a thumbs up and I killed all the lights. Not just the one's in the house looking down at the stage, but every light in the auditorium including the backstage lights. There is nothing spookier than being on stage knowing that there are no lights on.

I pulled my chair to the sound board and slowly increased the volume of the CD. Rather than the happy, upbeat version that we had come to know too well, this was the demented version that felt like a demon or two decided to pick up singing. Emmett took that as his cue to flip on the spotlight, and was pointing it directly at the poor kid that played the part of the Baker. He looked like he was about to pee in his pants.

I turned the sound up on the mic that Emmett had taken out with him and tapped three times on the table to let him know that he was on.

"Alex," was that his name? Good to know. "Why aren't you singing anymore Alex?" Emmett asked him. "This is your song, and you're in the spotlight. What's wrong Alex?" The look of terror on Alex's face was hilarious.

We watched his mouth open and close several times before he collapsed. I took that as my cue to turn the lights back on, but it was hard. I was shaking too much from my laughter and I missed the button twice before I found it. The lights came back up and the looks on every person's face was worth any bit of trouble we were about to get in.

Emmett turned off the CD and put in the Fray, something nice and calming. His laugh was echoing through the entire auditorium. I gave him a high five and watched as the rest of the cast and crew came back to their senses.

That cemented my relationship with my big brother Emmett.

Sunday was a day spent with Alice and Edward. Mainly Alice since Edward only came to push my wheel chair and to carry the shopping bags. What bribe she used to convince him to come was beyond me.

I did not mind too much since it seemed like Edward had really been putting a lot of effort into getting to know me. He had been helping me with my homework every night, showed me his music and book collections, both of which were amazing. What I really enjoyed was when he played his piano for me. He is absolutely amazing. I hoped that I would be able to talk him into playing for me again later tonight.

My bribe was my favorite breakfast, pancakes, orange juice and chocolate ice cream, topped off with a stop at a book store before we left Seattle.

Edward drove us in his shiny silver Volvo, but I could not watch the scenery as we zoomed by. Edward drives like a maniac! I was sick to my stomach most of the way there, and could not have been happier to have reached our destination, where ever that was.

From the moment we parked until Edward convinced her it was time to go Alice was no longer my sweet and hyper but somewhat distractible best friend. Oh no, Alice switched to shopping mode which I discovered is nearly as scary as Edward's driving.

The first store they wheeled me into was huge! I had always avoided the clothing stores in malls as I never saw the point in paying that much for t-shirts and jeans I could get from somewhere else for much less. Apparently Alice did not follow my shopping philosophy.

The associates seemed to know her and three came to help us immediately. Alice told them something or other and two followed Alice while the other showed Edward and me to a dressing room. It wasn't so much a dressing room as it was one large room with about a quarter of it partitioned off. The larger part of the room had a couch and chairs and several mirrors and clothing hooks all around it.

I was over-whelmed before Alice came back with her two assistants, all three of them carrying an armload of clothing. Alice shooed Edward away from me and pushed me into the partitioned room where she assisted me with getting in and out of the shirts and skirts and jackets and vests and socks and tights and whatever else she found.

The first twenty or so outfits I tried to help Alice as much as I could. I did not like being treated like a Barbie doll, but Alice would have none of it. I finally gave up and just did what she told me or let her do whatever she was going to. After an hour, she let me take a break and she went out to find this or that in different colors. Ugh, more stuff to try on.

"How are you holding up?" Edward asked after Alice had dropped me on the couch next to him. I would have sworn he was trying to hold back a smile.

I huffed. "How do you think I'm holding up? She's crazy."

"Alice can get a little short sighted when she starts shopping." Edward smiled, but was looking down at his hands. "But don't worry, if she gets too bad, I'll break you out of here and we'll find your bookstore."

He looked at me then. I looked into his eyes and was pulled in deeper by the liquid topaz. His eyes were absolutely amazing. I had never experienced the feeling of being lost in someone's eyes before, but if it was anything like what I was feeling right then, I never wanted to be found. Even being as lost within his eyes as I was, I was still hyper aware of him and how close we were sitting. There was less than two inches of space between us and I had the strangest urge to close that gap so there was nothing between us. _Wait, what is going on here? What am I feeling, and why?_ The logical part of my mind was screaming at me to stop, that I didn't know what was going on or how to stop whatever I was doing.

With a huge effort, I pulled my eyes from his and looked down at my hands in my lap. I could feel my cheeks getting warm and I was positive that my face could not have been any more red.

Edward's soft laugh drifted to me and I looked up at him with the intention to glare, but all the force was drained from the glare by his crooked smile. I smiled back at him, but I was still embarrassed and could not manage a full smile. I knew I had to say something before I turned into just another one of the girls that followed Edward around. What had he been talking about? Oh yes, the book store.

"Um, I would like that. But why wait, can't we go now?" I asked him after far too long.

"Because if we leave now that would just mean another day of shopping. It's better to just get it over with." He pointed out.

"Fine." I pouted. There was a not so small part of my brain that was quite upset with Alice right now. I _hated_ shopping, and she had plans to drag this out for hours.

That was when she came back with another arm full of clothes and back in the changing room I went.

Three hours later I convinced her that I needed food. It helped that my stomach was growling loud enough for a little kid to start laughing at me.

Another two hours after that I began to feel like I was dreaming, because there is no way that one person needed that much clothing or shoes or accessories. If I was dreaming, then this was the oddest nightmare I had ever had.

I did finally convince her that I was tired and now I deserved my bribe, a bookstore. She really was not interested in going, but Edward was more than willing to take me.

There was a really cool one just a few blocks down from the mall. It was called The Tattered Cover **(A/N – this is actually a locally owned chain in Denver, but I'm transporting it to Seattle for the purposes of this story and nostalgia.)** and the coolest thing about it was that they had converted a theater for the store. Science and business and cookbooks were on the stage. The wings were psychology/philosophy, and crafts and metaphysics. The pit was full of calendars, satirical books and writer's/artists guides. The house portion was where they kept non-fiction, general fiction, science fiction and self-help. The basement was where they had the children's section, travel and the books that would not fit somewhere else.

It did not take long for me to find that I could get lost there for days and never for a moment want to find my way out. I think Edward was amused by how entranced I was with this place. It took two hours for him to finally wheel me out, but I had a huge smile plastered on face and it would not go away.

I had found three hard copy books that I had been looking for to replace my paperbacks that were falling apart, as well as several different printed versions of _Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, _and _Macbeth._ I had always been fascinated by the differences that could be found in Shakespeare's works depending on the publisher.

All in all, it was a pretty good way to spend the day if I was going to have to be tortured by way of shopping.

And today, Monday, Alice proposed a family movie night. The last family thing we had all done together was the family meeting last week where they had told me what they were. It was time to have a fun family get together.

The furniture had been re-arranged, but I still got the couch since I still needed to keep my leg elevated. Edward sat on it with me, which made me nervous and excited all at the same time. I didn't understand it so I chose to ignore it instead. All the other couples spread themselves out on the floor, either laying on their stomachs or leaning back against the couch or a chair.

"So what movie are we watching?" I asked while everyone was getting settled.

"50 First Dates." Alice said lightly as she danced into the room with a bowl of popcorn for me. The guys groaned and Rosalie and Esme giggled.

"Thank you Alice." I said, but I was trying to hide the fact that I had never seen the movie before. I think it had Adam Sandler in it, so it had to be funny, right?

"Why do we have to watch a chick flick?" Emmett complained. I'm pretty sure he was saying what every other male in the room was thinking.

"Because Bella's never seen it and you got to pick the last three movies in a row." Alice countered. Rosalie didn't bother with words, she just smacked him upside the head. I giggled. It was always funny to see this gorgeous super model beat up someone as big as Emmett.

"You're a girl and you've never seen this movie?" Emmett looked at me confused.

I blushed, "I guess so. I don't watch TV or movies all that often." I tried to sink lower in the couch. I didn't need Edward's gift to see new remarks and come backs forming in Emmett's head. Even Jasper was looking thoughtful.

"Well I think it's a lovely choice." Esme stated with a look around the room saying there were to be no arguments. Sometimes being the mom had its advantages.

Alice hit play and the opening credits began to roll. It did not take long before everyone was laughing at Adam Sandler's version of flirting or of the hilarious situations he managed to get into. I mean, how can you court a person that forgets who you are every day? It was an impossible relationship whose love had to be closer to soul mates than what I saw between just about every other couple I had observed.

Or the first person had to be incredibly persistent.

We weren't very far along in the movie when I started to notice that Edward was shifting around in his seat. I didn't pay any attention to it at first, but then it seemed like he was moving closer and closer to me.

I couldn't help but think it was pretty pathetic. Just because we were surrounded by couples did not mean that we had to act like one too. He had a hard enough time being around me anyway, why would he want to get closer?

I was actually starting to get annoyed with him. His fidgeting was distracting me from the movie and I really was enjoying it. What was his problem?

I turned my shoulder away from him and tried to focus on the movie again, but there he was moving even closer. Since when did vampires fidget anyway? I knew they could sit for hours at a time without moving a muscle.

I had made a bet with Emmett last week that I could sit still longer than he could. He won after an hour but had stayed still for even longer just to prove his point. He had truly looked like a statue then.

I knew Edward had more patience than Emmett so what was going on? And why was I so irritated? Normally I did not mind if Edward was close. We had sat much closer when he was doing homework with me. Was it just because I saw everyone else cuddled up together watching the movie? I didn't think so, but maybe my leg was hurting more than I thought it was and it was irritating me.

He shifted again and I glanced at him quickly out of the corner of my eye. He looked confused, and maybe in pain, but there was also something else that I could not name in his eyes. I shifted away from him as much as I could and crossed my arms for good measure. Nothing said stay back as well as crossed arms with a good glare, which I made sure to shoot his way.

When I turned back to the movie, I wasn't so sure I wanted to watch something that was about a happy couple when I was so irritated by Edward.

Somehow he did not get the hint and moved closer again. This time I turned back to him and glared at him for much longer. I waited till he looked at me, surprise showing in his features before he quickly turned back to the TV.

I turned my attention back to the movie as well and he even managed to sit still for a few minutes. But it was only for a few minutes before he was back to his fidgeting. What in the world was going on? He knew I did not appreciate his advances so why was he still doing it? My irritation was getting dangerously close to the upset range.

It was about half way through the movie when he suddenly stood up, grabbed my now empty bowl of popcorn and went to the kitchen. I didn't know what he was doing, but suddenly all my irritation and tension just drained away. I really could not say why I was upset besides just being upset.

I was able to turn my full attention back to the movie, and joined back in the laughter and even the moments that just had me saying 'aw…'

Edward came back and silently handed me a new bowl of popcorn. I wasn't paying attention and grabbed his hand with one of mine while he passed it over and felt a jolt of electricity pass through me at his touch. I was so startled I dropped the bowl and was saved from picking up a mess by Edward's quick movements. Rather than pass it to me, he placed it on the couch next to me and moved over to the far side of the couch to sit.

For some odd reason, I was now disappointed that he was so far away. I couldn't understand the sudden change in my emotions. The only thing I could come up with was that watching the movie while the romance was really developing made me lonely. I had never had that problem before. I tried to shrug it off.

But apparently my mind had different intentions. I wanted him to be near me, I wanted to be able to reach over and hold his hand, or maybe even lean against his side while he wrapped his arm around me. That sounded awfully comfortable. Now it was my turn to fidget.

He just stared straight ahead at the screen. It looked like he was trying to ignore me, though why after he had spent so much effort trying to get closer I could not figure out. Everything about the entire evening was just so confusing!

I was starting to get really uncomfortable being away from him and would have stood up and dropped myself down on the couch next to him if I could. My leg was of course, still in its cast and I still had my no weight allowed instructions from Carlisle. All I could do was steal glances at him occasionally. And day dream about being in his arms and kissing his perfect lips.

I had never paid attention to just how handsome, no beautiful, he was. His chiseled features were perfectly arranged to make any woman's heart ache. A strand of his unusual bronze hair had fallen in front of his eye, and my urge to gently push it back and to run my fingers through his hair was nearly as strong as my desire to feel his lips upon mine. I wanted to feel his strong, piano player's hands on my skin which was starting to feel very warm.

My mind was so wrapped up in what I wanted to do, to feel, that I was not paying any attention to the movie what so ever. The only thing that jarred me from my reverie was everyone's laughter. _Oh my god, was I really day dreaming about kissing Edward?_ What in the world was I thinking!

Even though no one had noticed my hungry looks towards Edward, it still made me blush. I couldn't believe how much I wanted my day dreams to be real.

Luckily for me the movie was nearly over and I would be able to claim that I was tired and go to bed to try to figure all this out. Even as I was thinking that, my mind drifted to being in Edward's arms as we lay in my bed. _Bella! Snap out of it._ I scolded myself.

I heard quiet laughter from in front of me, and saw Jasper glance back at me. Oh no, he could feel whatever I was feeling! I was blushing bright red and tried to hide my face in my hands. This was just so wrong! I had never thought about a man like that before, why would it have to be Edward, my new foster brother? What was wrong with me?

I was never happier than I was at that moment that Edward could not read my thoughts. I don't think I would ever be able to look him in the eyes if he knew. I would not be able to look him in the face for several days as it was, and I know he would notice something was up.

I heard that same laughter from in front of me and this time I glared at Jasper. Of course he could feel my mortification too. It was so annoying living with an empath sometimes.

I of course, was still hyper aware of Edward and noticed that he was giving Jasper a calculating look. What was he thinking now?

Wait, Jasper can do more than feel emotions, right? He can also manipulate them.

Was Jasper making me feel like this? On purpose?

And was he responsible for my irritation earlier?

I decided to voice my new found discovery after the movie since we were at the very end and I wanted to see how this would turn out.

As the closing credits began to roll, Alice sighed, "This has got to be one my favorite songs. Rosalie, at your next wedding, you are going to dance to this." She said it in such a way that we all knew that Rosalie would indeed be dancing to this song at her next wedding.

Rosalie smiled, "Yes, I think it would be perfect." I didn't know what the song was, but it was very pretty. I suppose if I ever thought about getting married I would like it to be my wedding song too. I wasn't too concerned about that though since I did not plan on getting married until years and years from now.

"So Bella, what did you think about the movie?" Emmett asked far too innocently.

"Oh, I think it was a nice feel good movie." I turned my attention from Emmett to Jasper, "Of course it would have been had someone not been playing with my emotions."

Before Jasper could even begin to defend himself, Edward jumped up, "I can't believe you! What happened to no in, er, interrupting family nights?" What had he been about to say there? I know it had nothing to do with movie nights.

"It was a little harmless fun. No harm done, right?" He said looking at both Edward and I. I was too flustered to answer him.

"You know what? I don't think I want to stay down here with someone that's going to _play_ with my emotions. Can someone help me to bed, please?" I asked.

"Of course sweetie." Esme rushed over and pulled me up into her arms. I barely remembered to close my eyes before she ran up the stairs to my room. She helped me get changed into my pajamas and tucked me into bed. We chatted for a few about when the new furniture and paint for my room would come in before she said good night and turned out the light.

I lay in bed unable to sleep for a while before I realized that I could hear someone talking in the hallway.

"Edward, what were you talking about down there?" I recognized Alice's tinkling bell-like voice.

"Jasper had decided to play with Bella and me. I think he made her upset with me while I was feeling lust and then he flipped it around." Edward sounded irritated. Was that what lust felt like? I suppose that yes, yes it was.

Since I could only hear him, it occurred to me just how smooth and compelling his voice was. It reminded me of velvet, how it feels when you rub it, that was Edward's voice in my ears, soft and smooth even he was irritated.

"Thing was, I thought we had all agreed to no interference in the bet." I heard him mutter.

"I don't think he meant it like that, but more as a harmless prank." Alice tried to soothe him.

"Yes, but now I doubt Bella will even look at me, so much as spend any time with me. That's interfering." What was this bet they were speaking of? It must have had something to do with me and Edward, otherwise he would not be so upset. I decided that I deserved to know.

"Edward?" After a long pause I heard the door open and saw a line of light creep across my carpet. "What are you and Alice talking about?" I asked sweetly. Better to butter him up first.

"Oh, um, it was something from school the other day." He answered, but he was not as confident as he usually is when telling one of his lies.

"Really? Because I thought for some reason it had to do with what happened tonight between you and me. I really think I deserve to know why my emotions were getting played with, don't you?"

"She's got you there Edward." I heard Alice tell him.

"Great. I'm killing him tonight." Edward muttered. He opened the door wider and came into the room. Alice followed him, but I had the feeling there would be a few other vampires outside my room soon enough.

"Spill." I told him when he had moved to stand at the foot of my bed. I sat up so that I could keep an eye on the door and Edward.

"Well, you see, on Thursday at lunch Emmett and I got into a sort of argument." Edward started after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. "It was really stupid, but somehow, we came up with the idea of a bet. I agreed to it and that's about it." He was definitely trying to evade this and I was not having it.

"And the bet was about?"

"It was… I had a week to get a girl to agree to go on a date with me." He muttered so quickly I almost didn't catch it.

"There was more to it." I stated. There was no way he would be this hesitant if that was it.

"Well, you're the only woman whose thoughts I cannot read. Emmett wanted to keep me from cheating." Oh really? I was going to be talking with Emmett as well.

"I am pretty sure I know exactly where this went and how far, but I want to hear you say it Edward." My voice was harsher than I intended, but seeing him flinch in the light from the doorway made it worth it.

"I bet that I could 'woo' you in a week." Edward whispered. If there had been more light in the room, I'm pretty sure I would not have been able to see his eyes. As it was he turned away from me.

"Let me get this straight, you and Emmett made a bet about me last week and due to said bet Jasper played with our emotions tonight?" I was glaring daggers.

"Yes." He breathed.

"Emmett!" I yelled. He was very suddenly at the doorway. "You and Edward made a bet regarding me, am I correct?" I could barely see him nod in the low light.

I smiled wickedly, "I am going to speak with Esme in the morning, but Emmett, if I were you, I would not count on having my video games or movies for a while. And Edward, I think your car may stay here at the house for a while."

Both Edward and Emmett were spluttering too much to speak, but as soon as they were I knew I was going to have two upset vampires focusing on me. I was going to have to argue with them on this matter.

Esme saved me the trouble and was in the door way already. "I think that's fair Bella. Two weeks each. And Jasper, you're not going to be left out either, no video games or movies for you for one week. Does that cover it, Bella?" I nodded. "I think your father is going to want to speak with you both as well. Emmett, you first." Esme physically pulled him from my doorway.

Edward tried to escape my room, but I had different plans. "No Edward, I want to talk with you for a while longer." He turned around and went back to his spot at the foot of my bed.

"I expect things like this from Emmett, but not from you Edward. You don't get involved in Emmett's games. So why did you have to choose this one to get sucked into? Out of all the other schemes that Emmett plans, you have to get dragged into the one that involves me." I was really hurt by all of this and angry too. I could feel my eyes start to tear up like they did when I got angry or upset and I tried to blink them back.

"Bella… I didn't mean to hurt you." Edward said with his head down.

"Well, it looks like you did anyway. Was that the only reason why you spent any time with me this week? Why you sat with me and helped me with my school work or played your piano for me? Was that all to "woo" me, Edward?" The tears leaked out anyway and I just closed my eyes and looked down at my lap. I hate it when my body betrays me like that.

I felt the bed drop at my side as if someone had sat down on the edge. I looked up and I saw Edward's face, he looked like he was in pain.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. It was not my intention to hurt you."

"Well, whatever your intentions were, it happened." I was still upset and the tears were still flowing, but with him so close, I was having trouble keeping the flames of my anger lit. Even without Jasper's help, I still wanted him to touch me and comfort me.

"Bella… The first night, I did use that bet as an excuse to spend time with you." I sobbed at hearing those words. Of course, why would the man that looked like a Greek God and was so special and talented want to spend time with someone as plain and uninteresting as me? "But it was only an excuse Bella. I wanted to spend the time with you anyway. I wanted to hear you laugh and start to understand what goes on in that mind of yours. After that, I didn't really even think about that bet. I was spending time with you just to be with you. You're a very interesting person Bella, and I would like to spend more time with you to get to know you even better."

I couldn't find a way to believe him though. His excuse of wanting to get to know me, of me being a special person, just showed that he was trying to make me feel better, that he really did not mean what he was saying.

I shook my head in denial and sobbed louder. "I can't believe you Edward. It doesn't make any sense. I'm not that interesting, and I thought it was too hard for you to be around me. That I smell too appetizing." I managed through my tears.

"Yes, it's hard to be near you, but it's harder to be away from you, especially when you're hurting." He leaned forward and wiped some of my tears away. I felt that same electrical jolt, but didn't pay attention to it. Why did he have to keep lying to me and then make me feel even worse by pretending to care?

"It's okay Edward, you don't have to lie to me to try to make me feel better. If you feel guilty, just say so and go. I won't hold you up." I told him. More tears threatened to fall at the thought of him leaving. Why did he have this much control over me? It wasn't fair!

"I'm not trying to make you feel better because I feel guilty. I don't like seeing you in pain Bella. I really don't like seeing you in pain, especially when I'm the one that caused it." He paused, "What can I do to make this right?"

"I don't know Edward. I don't think I can tell you that. If you really mean what you said, then you are going to have to come up with it. If I tell you, then it won't mean anything." I told him after thinking about it for a minute.

"That's fair enough Bella." He concentrated on something before continuing, "Carlisle is asking for me. I'm sorry Bella, I really did not mean to hurt you." He got up before he could see my nod or more tears find their way down my cheeks.

I fell back down against my pillows and really started to cry. It wasn't fair! The one person that I for some unknown reason wanted to have pay attention to me couldn't do it without a_ bet_ to motivate him. I had enough reasons to cry without adding that in.

My tears started as my grief over what Edward could have been to me. It slowly turned to my grief over the loss of my parents and life in Arizona. I had already let that go, but no matter how many tears I shed, there would always be more there. I had loved my mother and father and even Phil too much to ever give them up completely.

As the tears flowed, a whisper in the back of my mind told me that this would find a conclusion somehow, but I could not see how that was possible. It was with that thought that I finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

**A/N – Hope you all were able to find something enjoyable in there and sorry to leave it on a sad note… Please leave me a quick review or send a pm to let me know what you think, I do read and respond to every person that sends one and even try to use your thoughts and ideas in the story. Thank you all for reading, and I look forward to seeing your thoughts!**

**Oh yes, and the song at the end of 50 First Dates is **_**Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World**_** by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole aka IZ or the 'big fat Hawaiian guy'.**


	11. Chapter 11 Thoughts and Dreams

**A/N - Less than a week! I had absolutely no idea how I wanted this chapter to go, but I heard the song _The Dark Knight_ from the movie soundtrack and it just clicked. Music is such a wonderful writing tool. :-)**

**As always, I must thank every single person that has added this story (or me - I'm always happy to see that too) to their favorites. It makes me smile big and get all goofy. And to my gracious reviewers! It makes my day to see your opinions and thoughts! That is the reason why I have continued this story, else it would have died several chapters ago. Thank you to each and every person that reads this story!**

**That's enough of me - here's the story**

**Disclaimer - SM owns everything Twilight related, including a large part of my obsessive brain, but at least she lets us play!**

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**Edward's POV**

"Alice, leave me alone. I don't want to talk about anything right now," I told her. I was upset with Jasper, but that did not mean I had to take it out on his mate.

"Edward, you need to talk about it," she said. I shook my head. "Well, at least tell me what happened," she said. _You know how much I hate not knowing something,_ she said with her mind. Fine, I'll tell her.

"Jasper had decided to play with Bella and me. I think he made her upset with me while I was feeling lust and then he flipped it around. Thing was, I thought we had all agreed to no interference in the bet." I said quietly. I had just realized we were standing outside Bella's room and with the way the night had been going, she was awake and listening.

"I don't think he meant it like that, but more as a harmless prank,"

"Yes, but now I doubt Bella will even look at me, so much as spend any time with me. That's called interfering."

"Edward?" Bella said from behind her door.

_Damn, she heard us,_ Alice thought at me. Of course she heard us, we were standing outside her door talking about her. My night couldn't get any worse.

"What are you and Alice talking about?"

I knew this was coming, but it did not make opening her door and walking in her room any easier.

I opened her door, but did not enter. Her insanely appealing scent had saturated everything in the room and nearly over powered me. I felt the venom pooling, but quickly swallowed it down and viciously stomped on the monster within me that craved nothing besides her blood. This was Bella and right now she was upset. I needed to make it so that she would want to see me after this. That was my focus. That and trying to figure out why this beautiful human girl had such a hold on me.

"Oh, um, it was something from school the other day," I said. Even I was suspicious of the way I sounded.

"Really? Because I thought for some reason it had to do with what happened tonight between you and me. I really think I deserve to know why my emotions were getting played with, don't you?"

"She's got you there Edward," Alice said. I didn't need her to tell me that.

"Great. I'm killing him tonight." I told Alice. She just grimaced at me. _You can feel it as well as I can that he's upset with how his prank turned out. Don't be too hard on him,_ she thought at me.

I sighed before opening her door further and walking in her room. If I had thought her scent was strong before, it was nothing compared to actually being in her room. I had to fight with the monster for dominance again. Unsure of how well I would be able to control myself as this conversation progressed, I had to stop at the edge of the bed. It was probably better to stay back from her anyway.

"Spill," she commanded.

"Well, you see, on Thursday at lunch Emmett and I got into a sort of argument. It was really stupid, but somehow, we came up with the idea of a bet. I agreed to it and that's about it." I knew she wasn't going to accept anything but the full truth, but I had to try.

"And the bet was about?"

"It was… I had a week to get a girl to agree to go on a date with me."

"There was more to it."

"Well, you're the only woman whose thoughts I cannot read. Emmett wanted to keep me from cheating."

"I am pretty sure I know exactly where this went and how far, but I want to hear you say it Edward." Why did she have to hear it? Didn't she know I felt bad enough about this? I never wanted to hurt her, especially not with something as stupid as this. I had to close my eyes before I could answer.

"I bet that I could 'woo' you in a week." There, the cat was out of the bag. I looked away from her. I felt like an idiot for even thinking about taking that bet.

"Let me get this straight, you and Emmett made a bet about me last week and due to said bet Jasper played with our emotions tonight?"

"Yes." I couldn't help but admire her bluntness even as it was tearing into my being.

"Emmett!" she shouted. She must not have realized that our entire family was just outside her door.

He stepped up to where she could see him.

"You and Edward made a bet regarding me, am I correct?"

He nodded. _Guess we should have known something like this was going to happen._

She appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I am going to speak with Esme in the morning, but Emmett, if I were you, I would not count on having my video games or movies for a while. And Edward, I think your car may stay here at the house for a while."

She what? Wait, she couldn't take my car! No, this was not going to happen. Emmett's mind was just as befuddled as my own. How could she do this to us? I tried to come up with an argument, but nothing was coming to mind. This was not fair!

Esme must have taken that as her cue to step in. "I think that's fair Bella. Two weeks each. And Jasper, you're not going to be left out either, no video games or movies for you for one week. Does that cover it, Bella?" she nodded.

"I think your father is going to want to speak with you both as well. Emmett, you first," she said. I couldn't even pay attention to what was going on here. Bella must have been feeling more upset about this than what I could have guessed. I didn't know what I was going to be able to do to make her trust me again.

I did not want to leave her when she was so upset, but I could not see how I could convince her to let me try to make it up to her. I wanted so bad to hold her and tell her that I would do anything to make it up to her. She deserved the world after everything she had been through and I just made it worse.

Thinking only of ways that I could try to make it up to her, I slowly turned and started to make my way out of her room.

"No Edward, I want to talk with you for a while longer," she said before I could take more than five steps. I turned back and went to stand where I had been. It was as close as I felt she would let me come. The urge to sit at her side and pull her into my arms was getting stronger.

I don't know when, but sometime over the weekend I had stopped questioning my desire to be closer to her.

"I expect things like this from Emmett, but not from you Edward. You don't get involved in Emmett's games. So why did you have to choose this one to get sucked into? Out of all the other schemes that Emmett plans, you have to get dragged into the one that involves me," she said. I could see the tears she was blinking back and wished to take everything that had happened at that lunch break.

"Bella… I didn't mean to hurt you," I said. I could not look her in the eyes. I did not want to see her cry because of me. I felt so useless just standing there at the end of her bed.

"Well, it looks like you did anyway. Was that the only reason why you spent any time with me this week? Why you sat with me and helped me with my school work or played your piano for me? Was that all to "woo" me, Edward?"

I looked up and saw the tears streaking down her face. If my dead heart could have broken, it would have at the sight. I felt such a strong pull to be near her, to comfort her that my body moved on its own. I went from standing at the foot of her bed to sitting on the edge next to her. Her tears made her scent more powerful, but also filled with salt, reminding me of why it was stronger. I knew then that even if she never forgave me, I deserved every moment of suffering I would feel. That this angel should cry was wrong.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. It was not my intention to hurt you."

"Well, whatever your intentions were, it happened." I knew then that even if she never forgave me, I deserved every moment of suffering I would feel. That this angel next to me should cry was wrong.

"Bella… The first night, I did use that bet as an excuse to spend time with you. But it was only an excuse Bella. I wanted to spend the time with you anyway. I wanted to hear you laugh and start to understand what goes on in that mind of yours. After that, I didn't really even think about that bet. I was spending time with you just to be with you. You're a very interesting person Bella, and I would like to spend more time with you to get to know you even better." I had to let her know that I wasn't going to give up on her. She needed to know that I was going to do whatever I could to convince her to let me stay near her. To still be her friend.

"I can't believe you Edward. It doesn't make any sense. I'm not that interesting, and I thought it was too hard for you to be around me. That I smell too appetizing." She shook her head, new tears making their way down her cheeks.

I was dismayed. Had she not realized that I had fought that battle with the monster that I am? The very thought of her getting hurt because of me, of me taking so much as a drop of her blood sent such a searing pain through my body that it was unthinkable. How could I make her understand that?

"Yes, it's hard to be near you, but it's harder to be away from you, especially when you're hurting," I told her.

I leaned forward and gently wiped away her tears with my thumbs. I felt a current of electricity shoot down my arm from our contact, but rather than being painful, it was pleasant. I ignored it though, right now, Bella's comfort meant more than deciphering what that current meant. That didn't keep me from relishing the feeling of her soft, warm skin beneath my fingers. I could not read her reaction to my touch though and pulled my hands back after her tears were gone.

"It's okay Edward, you don't have to lie to me to try to make me feel better. If you feel guilty, just say so and go. I won't hold you up." My dead heart broke a little more. She didn't believe me. When I am telling her the truth she refuses to hear it as such.

"I'm not trying to make you feel better because I feel guilty. I don't like seeing you in pain Bella. I really don't like seeing you in pain when I'm the one that caused it. What can I do to make this right?" I begged.

She took an excruciating silent minute to answer. Her eyes closed and she scrunched her face as though thinking hard. I saw her bit her lower lip and knew she was struggling with whatever was going on in her mind. I desperately concentrated on her mind, trying to hear anything that was going on in her mind. I almost cried out in frustration at the silence that did not disappear.

"I don't know Edward. I don't think I can tell you that. If you really mean what you said, then you are going to have to come up with it. If I tell you, then it won't mean anything."

"That's fair enough Bella," I said. If it was going to take the rest of her life, I would do anything to convince her to forgive me.

_Edward, that's enough for tonight. Let Bella rest and come to my study,_ Carlisle thought at me. I sighed internally. I did not want to leave Bella, but I knew that I needed to.

"Carlisle is asking for me. I'm sorry Bella, I really did not mean to hurt you." I stood up and quickly left. I knew if I did not leave immediately that I never would leave until she had agreed to forgive me.

I shut her door and leaned back against it. I listened to her sobs and knew that I had messed up. I had never messed anything up so bad in my entire immortal existence.

I pulled myself away from her door to go speak with Carlisle and Esme. Both were being guarded about their thoughts, concentrating on whatever had been going on the rest of their day rather than what they wanted to say to me.

Before I could get to Carlisle's office, Jasper stopped me.

_Bro, we need to talk,_ he thought as he shoved himself away from the wall and into my path.

"Jasper, I do not see what we need to talk about right now."

_I want to apologize, Edward. I messed up, worse that what I thought I could._ A flash of what he was feeling slipped past the walls that he had built around his own emotions. They were no where near as bad as my own, but I knew then that he had not meant anything more to come of it.

"I do not want to talk about this," I said.

_You need to, Edward. You need to talk to someone about it. You love her so much that you are tearing yourself apart with your guilt._

Love? What was he talking about? I didn't love Bella.

"You're wrong," I said. There was no way I could love her. At least not the way that he was implying. If I loved her, it was as my little sister, someone I needed to protect from any harm or pain.

_I didn't think you'd believe me right away. You'll discover it for yourself soon enough._ Jasper walked past me and made his way down to speak with Alice. His thoughts told me that he really believed what he was thinking was true, but I just could not accept it.

Even if it was true, it wouldn't matter. There was no way that Bella would ever look at me like that so much as love me.

Before anything else could interrupt me, I walked the short distance to Carlisle's office and knocked on the door.

_Come in, Edward._

Opening the door, I saw both he and Esme sitting behind his desk. I sighed internally. That always meant that they were speaking as my parents, not as Carlisle and Esme the leaders of this family. The parent role was always more important in this family.

"You know that we heard your conversation with Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, I do," I answered formally.

"Did you mean everything you said, Edward? Do you really want to make this right for her?" Esme asked. I could see her concern for Bella and her hope that she would be able to forgive us.

"Yes, Esme, I meant every word. I care about her, Esme," _but not as more than a brother,_ "and would do anything she asks of me to make it right."

"Then you know that we are following through with her requests for grounding you," Carlisle said. I grimaced but nodded. But I had meant it. I would do anything to make this right again.

"I know," I said. I looked up at both of them. "Do you think there's a chance she will forgive me? Can I make this right?" I asked.

"Yes, Edward, I think that given time she will forgive you. It is not in her nature to hold grudges," Esme said. Carlisle nodded in agreement. "I know this is going to be hard for you, Edward. We have already noticed how much happier you have been the last few days. Don't push her too hard and give her space to figure this out. She will be able to forgive you. But remember, she has been through so much the past few weeks."

I smiled weakly. It was going to be so hard to sit back and watch her be distant and sad when I wanted nothing more than to shower her in affection and adoration. She should be getting flowers and gifts and be treated as the angel she is, not suffering from the grief of losing her parents and then being made to feel like she was just another girl.

Esme came from around the desk and hugged me tightly. _I am still upset with what you and Emmett did, but I can see this is hard on you. I am here for you too if you need to talk,_ Esme reminded me. I smiled. She truly was my mother as much as my biological mother had been.

"Thank you, Mom," I said. It was times like these that I liked to remind her the place she had in my heart.

Carlisle place his hand on my shoulder, _Edward, I know that this is hard for you, but don't forget that it is just as hard for Bella. We are her family now and we have to treat her as such._ I nodded. He was right, we had not treated her as family. I'm sure Emmett and Jasper had already been told as much. We would not make the same mistake in the future.

I took that as my dismissal and walked out of their office to my piano.

I let my hands wander the keys, just hearing the perfect tones of each note and chord. It was not long before the same piece that had been haunting my mind since Thursday started to surface. It was a lullaby, that much I could tell, but it felt unfinished, there was something missing.

I toyed with different chords and scales before I settled with just playing the part that I had. The rest would come as it saw fit. That was the way I always composed my music.

I was pulled from my music by the softest whisper from upstairs. I knew whose room it emanated from and I found myself being pulled up the stairs. I opened her door, careful not to make a sound. My mind barely registered the delicious aroma that was Bella as I drifted to her bed.

Her blankets were getting tangled around her free leg and torso and her eyes were blinking and moving from side to side. It was then that I knew she was dreaming, but whatever it was about could not be pleasant. She was restless, her lips moving and face scrunching as though in pain.

"No, Edward, don't," she said. It was so quiet I almost did not catch it. My still heart plummeted to my feet. Even in her dreams I upset her. I saw the glimmer of a tear just before it slid down her cheek. Her mouth continued moving in silence while I stood there in my own personal hell.

"Please… don't go. Edward, I'm so alone," she said louder than before. My eyes opened wide to hear those words. Did she… could she… can she really care so much?

"Shh, Bella, don't cry. I'm here," I said as gentle as a feather. My hand moved to her cheek to catch the next tear before it could add its moisture to her cheek. I expected her to pull back from my cold touch but she surprised me and instead turned her face so my hand was cupping her cheek.

"I will be here for as long as you ask me to stay," I whispered in her ear and began to hum the lullaby I composed. She sighed and her breathing began to even out, her face relaxed. Minutes later her eyes lessened their movements and I observed her fall into a deep sleep.

I was elated. She did not want me to go at all. She wanted me to stay. She felt comfortable around me, enough so that I could soothe her troubled sleep. I knew that should bother me, but my heart would not let my logical brain take over.

After I made sure she was deep asleep, I ghosted my way back to my piano. Without me even being aware of it, I had finished the lullaby when I was humming it to Bella. I wanted to hear how it sounded my piano.

It sounded just like I had thought it would. Beautiful and gentle and loving, just like Bella. She had even helped me name it.

It was Bella's Lullaby.

* * *

**A/N - Again, thank you for reading, and please click the review button below and tell me your thoughts. I reply to each and every single review and take what you say and try to make it a part of the story. You are my inspiration, my friends! I look forward to seeing your thoughts and ideas and suggestions. :-)**

**faeriegal/Amber  
**


	12. Chapter 12 School, Again

**A/N - Once again, I must thank all of you for the great reviews and adds and all the encouragment you have given me. In light of that awesome encouragment, I was able to write this more or less filler chapter. It's getting the story moving though, and giving some fun family fluff, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Alice POV**

"Alice, would you mind if Bella slept in your room for the next three days?" Esme asked me as I walked into the kitchen.

My face was already scrunched up in distaste at the smell of the eggs and pancakes Esme was making for Bella, but it quickly changed to a smile for her. I had seen her asking me about this days ago and had already made my own arrangements. That didn't stop me from still enjoying the present time version. I always appreciated it when my family did not take advantage of my visions and still asked me for favors like this.

"I've already moved all the things she'll want for the next week to my room," I said with a laugh. I was bouncing on my toes in anticipation of the fun bonding time I would get with my best friend. I don't know if she saw us like that yet, but she really was my best friend and I loved her for it.

"I know. I saw you moving her stuff earlier. I know that you still like to be asked though."

We heard Bella shifting in her bed upstairs as she finally started to wake up. I smiled at Esme as I bounced out of the kitchen and up to Bella's room. I almost did not pay any attention to the vision I had of her falling out of her bed and hurting herself as this nearly happened every day now. Somehow her klutziness was still trying to do her in even when she couldn't walk.

We really did have our work cut out for us in trying to keep her alive.

I say almost because I could see I would not be able to make it in time to catch her this morning. _Edward! Please!_ Was all I could think at him before I saw the vision change to him teasing her as he put her back in her bed, now sitting up. I ignored the rest of the vision as I reached her room and enjoyed the live action version in front of me.

"Silly Bella. Haven't you learned from the past twelve days that you can't just roll out of bed?"

She snorted, "whatever. You're just trying to get back in my good graces."

"So what if I am?"

"You won't get on my good side this early in the morning no matter what," she said. She appeared thoughtful for a moment, tilting her head off to the side and biting her bottom lip. "Plus, if you had let me roll off, I could have skipped today. That would have gotten you on my good side better than making me go to school," she said with a look of disgust.

"Bella," he sighed, "you'll have to go eventually. And rather than being at school you would have been in the ER." A grimace passed across her face before she tried to hide it behind a sulky glare. He wisely changed the subject, "If I didn't know any better, with the way you're avoiding school, I would think you enjoyed me tutoring you in the evening," he said before he ruffled her hair and exited the room. She glared at his retreating back.

_Having fun?_ I teased as Edward passed me in the hallway. He just rolled his eyes. Apparently Bella wasn't the only grumpy one in the mornings. "Whatever, Alice," he muttered before going to his own room. I laughed.

I gave Bella a moment to get Edward off her mind, as much as she could before I entered the room.

"So, I hear you're not looking forward to school," I said as I glided to her bed. I barely waited for her to acknowledge me before I picked her up and helped her with all her human necessities. I knew she hated needing the help so I did my best to make it quick.

"Yes, because it's everyday that I have to be _wheeled_ around and have everyone stare at me like I'm a freak. It's going to be loads of fun," she said, pouting.

"Don't worry, Bella. I haven't seen anything bad happen and no one will bug you too much."

"And would that have anything to do with the five glaring vampires that will hardly let me out of their sights?"

I laughed, "Maybe a little bit."

"Great."

"But I do have something for you to look forward too," I said trying to changed the subject.

"And what would that be miss morning person?"

"The flooring for your room is coming in today so Esme is going to start working on it while we're at school. Isn't that exciting?"

"Really?" she asked. I couldn't see her face as she was in the shower, but I could hear the excitement in her voice.

"Yup. It does mean that your room will be off limits for the next few days, but you can stay in my room. We'll have a sleepover!" I was bouncing on my toes again just at the thought of having a real sleepover. It didn't matter to me that Bella already lived in the house and slept here all the time.

"I thought you didn't sleep," she said with confusion in her voice.

"Bella, that's not the point. The point is that we can watch chick flicks and paint each others' nails and do our hair and talk about boys and everything else that normal teenagers do. It's going to be so much fun!"

"Alice, calm down!" Bella said with a laugh. "That sounds like a lot of fun. I've missed doing all the girl stuff."

"Really? That's great. Even Rosalie is going to join in and have fun."

She was done with her shower by then and I quickly carried her to my room to help her change. I already had her clothes for the day lined out on my bed and I heard her try to stifle a groan.

"Bella, no complaining or else I'll get the mini-skirt I was going to have you wear," I told her sternly.

"Fine, but not the heels! I'll somehow manage to trip without even having them touch the ground!" she exclaimed, pointing at the four inch heels that went perfectly with the skirt. I knew she was going to say that so I had my back ups ready. She couldn't say no to them, they were just too cute!

"How about these and I promise that neither Edward, Jasper nor I will let your feet even think about touching the ground," I said sweetly.

"Whatever, Alice, let's just get this over with."

I quickly got her into the Calvin Klein navy blue and white printed skirt and white DKNY three-quarter sleeve sheer shirt with a white spaghetti string underneath. The Nina two and one half inch heels followed before I whisked her into my bathroom to do her make up and hair.

She just closed her eyes and let me work my magic.

The slightest touch of blush and a glimmer of purple and earth toned eye shadow and pink tinted lip gloss was all she needed for make up. For her hair, I pulled half back into a messy pony tail and lightly curled some of the sections that were hanging down.

I took a step back to admire my handiwork before telling Bella to open her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror before turning to me.

"I don't know how you did it, but, wow. I actually look pretty," she told me.

"Bella, you are beautiful, not just pretty, even without the make up and hair. All I did was add a bit to make you smoldering," I said. I would never understand how she could look at Rosalie or Esme or even me and think we were gorgeous without giving herself any credit at all.

"Sure, sure," she said dismissively.

"Well, let's get this show on the road." _Edward, would you mind helping Bella out to the car while I grab our stuff?_

I had barely finished the thought before he was standing in the doorway.

"You look gorgeous, Bella," he said, and ran his hand nervously through his hair. I had noticed that he was doing that a lot around Bella and I had my suspicions as to why, but I wasn't going to say anything or even try to think about it on the off chance it would scare him away.

"Not going to work. You won't get on my good side through compliments either," she said.

"I'm not trying to get on your good side with compliments. I'm only stating the truth," he said.

"Let's just get this all over with," she said with a sigh, trying to ignore his honest answer.

Edward still wasn't allowed to drive his Volvo so we were in my yellow Porsche 911 Turbo. I loved driving my baby, but didn't get to often enough. Edward always complained that it was too ostentatious or some bs like that. Rosalie's M3 was so much worse.

Edward was sitting in the back sulking of course. He just could not handle sitting in the back and not driving. Or having control of the radio for that matter. I took full advantage and had some random rap station blaring, not because I liked the music. Oh no, it was just to annoy him.

We were almost to school when Bella finally brought up something that I knew had been bothering her for a while.

"So am I just supposed to wait in all of my classes for one of you to come get me?" she asked.

Jasper answered her, turning to look at in the backseat, "Alice, Edward and I got our scheduled rearranged so that one of us was always in your class. We even convinced the administration change the seating around so we could sit next to you in case you needed anything."

Her jaw dropped and it took a moment before she could answer, "You guys didn't have to do that for me. I would have been fine."

"Nonsense, Bella. It wasn't that much trouble and we want to help you out," Jasper said and pointed to Edward where he was sitting next to her, "and he has all the female administrators wrapped around his pinky finger." We all laughed.

"So who has what classes with me?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

"I've got Spanish with you, Alice has homeroom, English, Social Studies, and Economics while Edward has Math and Biology. Oh, and he managed to get you out of gym and into a study hall for the rest of the semester, which I'll help you get to," Jasper finished.

She turned to Edward, "Really?" she asked.

"It wasn't that big of a deal, your leg's broken and I know how much you hate gym anyway, it just seemed like a good idea," he said and shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, fine, you got some points in your favor," she told him. "You too, Jasper. Thank you all, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to know that you will all be with me."

"Don't worry about it Bella. You're family now, and that means we help each other out," Jasper said with a smile on his face. He liked having a younger sister to watch out for. It brought out his Southern upbringing, which I liked too. No one is sexier than Jasper with his manners or his accent when he uses it.

Edward cleared out his throat before my mind could wander too much further. _Sorry, You know I didn't mean it._ He barely moved his shoulder but I knew it was a shrug for me to say 'you're forgiven.'

I pulled into the spot next to Rosalie's car and helped Edward get Bella out of the car before wheeling her to class.

**Jasper's POV**

I was working hard to keep Bella's frustration and embarrassment from boiling over and to keep myself from emanating it to everyone else. There were times when I regretted the gift I had. If it was not for the fact that it had helped to smooth over tense situations in the past or give courage when needed, then I would despise the hold it had on me.

But those were ponderings for another time.

"Bella, darlin', you need to help a gentleman out and try to control that feisty temper of yours," I whispered to her, his accent coming out strong.

"Sorry, Jasper," she whispered, her lips barely moving. "I just feel like there's a spotlight trained on me and I hate it."

"Don't fret, honey, the day is over half over. Lunch and two more classes then you are home free to be tortured by Alice."

"I'll take Alice over this any day," she said with so much disgust that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Just don't forget you said that." I heard my love's heavenly voice and laugh. Both Bella and I turned to watch as Alice danced to us. The mood around me morphed as it became energized and happy, the very essence of Alice.

"I see you've forgiven Jasper," Alice said after feeling no hostility between us. We were so attuned that she could sense me as well as I could sense her even taking my gift into account.

"It's hard to stay upset at Jasper for long," Bella said smiling up at me. I gave her a cocky grin back.

We were nearly to the cafeteria before Emmett noticed us and greeted Bella with his booming voice, "Bella! How's my little sister doing?" He scooped her up from the wheel chair and into a huge bear hug.

"Emmett… can't… breath," she barely managed to say. Emmett just laughed before releasing her back to the safety of her chair. A blush graced her cheeks, making the venom pool in my mouth. I swallowed it and shrugged off the ever present urge to hurt her and instead focused on her emotions. They were a mix of amusement and embarrassment and love and even happiness. I had decided almost from the moment that I met her that embarrassment was a constant companion of hers.

We made our way into the cafeteria and got our props. The food was never eaten by any of us, but with Bella here that would change.

We had barely sat down before Rosalie joined us, and I felt a bit of apprehension from Bella. I smoothed it out with some of Alice's confidence before Bella even became aware that there was a change in her mood.

"Are you still looking forward to our sleepover, Bella?" Alice asked as soon as Rosalie found her seat next to Emmett. I draped my arm around her shoulders to keep her from bouncing too much and breaking the bench.

"Yup, it'll be nice to have the girl time," she said and actually meant it. I was a little surprised since she had never indicated that she did that sort of stuff before. "Are you going to join us, Rosalie?" Bella asked her.

"I suppose. Like you said, it would be nice to have the girl time," Rosalie answered, trying to sound like she couldn't care one way or the other. I could tell that was just a cover as she truly was looking forward to it.

I felt a change in the emotional atmosphere of the room, and glanced up to see Edward walking into the cafeteria. I had to hold back a snort at the lust and jealousy that seemed to follow Edward like a shadow. Actually, it seemed to follow all of us like shadows, even Bella, though I would never tell her that.

As soon as Edward saw Bella I felt his love, adoration, and desire for her swell, as well as the regret and guilt that he had been feeling for the past week. The love and desire had grown in that time, but he would not listen to me when I tried to tell him what was going on. That didn't stop me from trying though. Edward had been alone too long. I saw this as an opportunity for him to finally feel the sense of wholeness and belonging that the six other vampires he lived with felt every day did.

I felt more than saw Bella's eyes follow my own. Even without having admitted to each other what they felt they were already becoming attuned to each other. I smiled inwardly at that. Her own emotions swelled, enough to rival Edwards. Love, was of course the strongest, but denial and regret were mixed in there as well. She was one of only a handful of people, human or vampire, whom had ever felt denial strong enough for me to actually feel it. If Edward was refusing what was blatantly obvious, Bella wouldn't even admit there was something blatantly obvious to refuse as truth.

I apparently had my work cut out for me to get them to realize the truth. I may have enlist Alice's aid to get them to stop being so stubborn and just get on with it.

Edward dropped in the seat next to me and consequently Bella. "I take it from the thoughts I've been hearing all day that you've been extremely unhelpful in their search for answers," Edward said to Bella. No pretenses with him.

"Just because I don't try to make it juicy or something they all think I'm hiding something. It's pathetic," she said, her face crinkling in disgust.

"Yes, well, we've already determined that this is not the most imaginative group of teenagers," he said, running his hand through his hair. He was starting to feel upset, though what about was beyond me.

"Go away, Newton," Emmett growled suddenly. I looked up to see Mike Newton standing a good seven feet away from the table. Ah, that was why.

"I just wanted, to, um, ask, uh, Bella a question," he stuttered. She rolled her eyes.

"Spit it out, Mike."

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you needed someone to help you to Biology."

"Newton, I'm in the class as well and she's already agreed to let me assist her," Edward stated tersely. His nostrils were flaring and it didn't take a mind reader or an empath to figure out he was struggling to keep from seriously hurting the child in front of him. Bella put her hand on his arm, instantly calming him down. It was a good thing too since the waves I was sending him barely dented his anger.

"I thought she maybe would like someone who wasn't trying to hurt her," Mike said, his courage starting to fail him.

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Bella said to both of them. "And Mike, whatever rumor you heard that Edward or Emmett was trying to hurt me is seriously wrong. My family will continue to help me as they already have been, but thank you for the offer.

I had to admire her. Even though she was the weakest of us, she was never satisfied with being taken advantage of or being pushed around.

"Oh. Okay. I guess I'll see you in class then," he said glumly. I almost felt bad for him, but I could feel Bella's annoyance at his presence which made it impossible for me to feel anything but annoyance myself.

"What nasty rumors have been spreading through this damn school the last two weeks?" Bella asked us as soon as Newton left.

"Nothing more than that really," Edward tried to say.

"Except for the one about Emmett trying to do you in or acting as Edward's accomplice," Alice chimed in.

"Or the one about you trying to commit suicide," Rosalie added, amusement obvious in her eyes.

"Or how Edward was trying to act as your knight in shining armor," I added.

"My personal favorite was that we are part of the mafia and a hit had gone out for your family so we had killed your dad, then your mom and Phil, and now we're trying to go after you since we didn't getting what we wanted," Emmett said with a serious face.

"You made that one up just now," Bella said.

"Doesn't keep it from being my personal favorite," Emmett said with a big grin.

"I may start spreading that one around myself. At least it would give them all something they want to hear. Oh, and it would explain why only you guys have been helping me around since I survived," she said, thinking out loud.

"That is a brilliant idea, sis," he proclaimed. Rosalie hit him upside the head. "What was that for?" he complained, rubbing his head. We all just laughed.

I couldn't help but enjoy the light hearted banter that we were blessed with since Bella had joined us. She had come into our lives in danger and needing our protection. She needed it still, but had somehow managed to wriggle her way into our hearts and brought new life to the family.

The person she changed the most was Edward. I had not felt him this genuinely happy in what seemed like years, and she managed it in a short few weeks.

The bell decided to ruin our fun by ringing. With a sigh, I gathered my bag and gently kissed my love, my Alice, before re-entering the world of monotony that we all lived in when Bella was not present.

**Edward's POV**

Bella's first day back at school had gone surprisingly well. She had even appeared to enjoy the evening with Alice and Rosalie. I was concerned that they kept her up too late. Perhaps staying in Alice's room was not such a great idea. I think she forgot that Bella was still human and needed things like sleep.

_Edward! Please don't ask her._ She managed to whine even in her thoughts.

If she saw me asking Bella if she wanted to sleep in my room and it bothered her, then that meant Bella would say yes. Did I want the woman who had dominated my thoughts to sleep in my room, where I had every excuse in the world to sit and listen to her dreams and watch her sleep?

Yes, yes I did.

_Oh come on! That's not fair. It's supposed to be girl time, not lovers time_.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Alice," I said quietly. Alice could of course hear me, but no need for Bella to know since we were talking about her. It was true though, I really did not know what Alice was talking about. Yes, I loved Bella and wanted no harm to come to her, but she was a seventeen year old, human girl. There was absolutely no way that I could love her as anything more than a younger sister that needed protection. She and Jasper could talk until they were blue in the face, but it would not change how I felt about Bella.

_Fine. But only because she does need to sleep._

I swiftly made my way downstairs to where the girls were picking out what movies they were going to watch tonight.

"Bella, could I speak with you for a moment?" I asked her.

"Yeah, sure, what's up?"

"I noticed that you didn't get much sleep last night with Alice being her hyper self. What would you think about sleeping in my room once you felt tired?"

She thought for a few moments. "You're right, I didn't sleep much. I guess it's not a bad idea."

"Great," I said, trying to keep my grin being too big. "Just let me know when you're tired, okay?"

"Sure, sure," she said before turning back to the movie selection. I couldn't help but see through Alice's mind that she was trying to hide her own little smile as well.

I heard Bella yawn for the forth time in as many minutes. I was getting impatient. Just because Alice was trying to convince her that she needed to stay, did not mean that she should. She was tired and needed to get some rest.

"Guys, I think I really should go to bed," Bella finally said through another yawn. Alice sighed, but she took Bella upstairs and I heard them getting her ready for bed.

I looked around my room and made sure everything was set up for Bella to go to bed. I had convinced Esme to let me put Bella's old bed back together in here so she had a familiar place to sleep. My couch had been moved off to the side to make room for it, but it was worth it. I even had a comfortable chair set up in one of the corners facing my wall that was actually made up only of glass, just in case she should want to read.

After a few more seconds of though, I turned on my stereo and had Debussey playing softly in the background, something soothing to help her drift off.

Shortly after I made my inspection, Alice brought Bella up and laid her down on the bed. _Okay, Romeo, I'm putting her in your care. Don't mess it up._ "Okay, Bella, it looks like he's got everything ready for you. If you need anything, just say my name and I'll get you whatever you need."

"I just," _yawn_, "want to go to bed," she said, her eyes drooping even as she pulled two pillows beneath her head. Alice gently kissed her forehead and helped her pull her sheets and comforter up. I had a strong urge to be in Alice's place, to be the one kissing Bella goodnight. It suddenly occurred to me that after Alice left I may actually get my chance.

"Goodnight Bella, sweet dreams," Alice said as turned and thought to me, _your turn_. I nodded at her.

"Edward?" Bella called, her eyes closed.

"I'm here, Bella."

"Thank you. I really do appreciate this, especially the bed," she yawned again.

"It's nothing, Bella. Now go to sleep," I said as smoothly as I could. She just smiled and nodded her pretty head.

I soon heard the deep, regular rhythm that told me she was asleep. I made my way to the chair and turned it so I was watching her from across the room.

I was pleased that I had spent much of the day with her and my demon had not reared its' ugly head. Bella was safe from the monster within me. At least for a short while and she would be able to sleep in peace tonight.

I had only been watching her sleep for a short while before her breathing changed. It became shallower, faster. I was immediately at her side, wanting somehow to be able to soothe her.

"Mom," she sobbed, "where did you go?" I had a feeling I knew what she was dreaming of, but I still did not know what to do to make her feel any better. "Dad? You left too?" I wondered silently what had happened to her father. I made a mental note to have Carlisle or Jasper look it up for me.

Her dream seemed to change in tone, her eyebrows pulled together and her nose scrunched up. "Alice, why? I want to find them. Oh. You're right." What was Alice right about? I hadn't heard anything tonight that sounded like Alice giving Bella advice or guidance. "But he doesn't… no… Edward! Don't go!" I did not understand why me leaving hurt her more than her parents leaving. It did not matter though, only Bella mattered and now I knew there was something I could do to comfort her.

"Bella, I'm not leaving you. I'm right here," I told her, my mouth next to her ear. I reached my hand up to her cheek again, just like I had over a week ago, and just like then, she turned her face into it so it was cupping her face. I sighed, content with my place, right here next to Bella.

After her breathing calmed down again, I slowly withdrew my hand and kissed her upon the forehead, just as Alice had. I was about to pull away completely, but her breathing hitched again. I gently, oh so gently, held her hand in my own, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. I hummed her lullaby to her and listened as her breathing calmed again and even her heart seemed to slow down.

I laid my head on the pillow next to hers and smiled as I breathed in her heavenly scent.

_Can you turn down the love a bit? I really don't think I can handle too much more without going all dopey too, bro._ Jasper managed to make his thoughts a whisper. I knew he was teasing, but couldn't find it in me to care at the moment. Instead, I just smiled in contentment. I had Bella sleeping peacefully in my room, I really couldn't care less what happened in the rest of the world.

I spent the rest of night that way; Staring at the lovely woman in my room, holding her hand and humming her lullaby. And a part of me hoped beyond hope that Jasper was actually right. That maybe I really did love the wonderful and gorgeous woman and that maybe by some lucky bit of wonderful chance, she loved me back. The rest of me saw this as impossible and was trying to convince me not to hope for something that was just that, impossible.

I had not realized how long I had been sitting at her bedside watching her when her breathing changed and her heart rate increased. Not from dreams though as she was still otherwise, but from her starting to wake. I was debating between staying where I was and leaving to sit on the chair again when turned her head and blinked up at me.

"You did stay," she said, her voice gritty from sleeping.

"Of course I stayed, I told you I wouldn't leave, right?" I said with a laugh.

"Yes, but I thought it was just a dream."

"In a way it was. Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

She groaned before answering, "oh no, what did I say this time?" she had closed her eyes and almost looked in pain.

"You were having a bad dream about your family leaving. Then it turned to me leaving too. It wasn't right that you should think that, so I told you that I was going to stay and I held your hand to let you know I was here." There was no need to tell her that I had also hummed her lullaby or touched her cheek. That was maybe a bit too intimate for our friendship as it stood right now.

"Thank you, Edward, but you know you didn't have to do that. Everyone has bad dreams every now and then."

"Except for your family, remember, we don't sleep, so no bad dreams. No dreams in general actually."

"Do you want to dream?"

"Yes, Bella, I would like to dream. If I'm dreaming then that means I'm sleeping. You have no idea how much you miss that simple action after one hundred years or so."

"How old are you, Edward?" she asked, the curiosity strong in her voice.

"Seventeen. At least that's the age I was when I was turned. If you are asking what year I was born, I was born in 1901 in Chicago."

"Oh. What was it like for you watching history to unfold right before your eyes?"

"So many questions so early in the morning! And here I thought you weren't a morning person."

"I'm not. But waking up here, with you, it doesn't seem as bad," she said in a rush, her face turning the most exquisite shade of pink.

"I would not mind being here every time you wake up either, Bella. There's something soothing about watching you sleep. Almost like I am able to rest and relax with you," I told her with a smile. Her blush deepened. "You're beautiful when you blush like that, did you know that?"

Her answer was to throw a pillow at me. I laughed, "There's the Bella we've all come to know and love in the morning." She stuck her tongue out at me, which made me laugh harder.

"Edward, stop torturing her, the poor girl just woke up," Alice said from the door, a smile on her face as well. "Plus, it's time to get ready for school." Bella groaned and flopped back down in bed.

"So much for a good morning," she said. Alice just laughed as she picked Bella up and whisked her away for her morning rituals.

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. I had to agree with Bella. So much for a good morning. I couldn't help but smile though. Bella hadn't said it out right, but I think she had forgiven me. And she said she wanted to wake up with me next to her again.

I laid down in her bed and took in her sweet aroma, thoughts of tonight already rushing through my head. If I kept looking forward, maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

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**A/N - you'll have to forgive me for yet another "Bella's sleeping and Edward's falling for her" ending. But you have to admit that Edward is learning that he does have feelings for her... So now to work on Bella!**

**Please review and let me know what you think, what you like, and what you want to see! Thank you so much for reading. :-)**

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	13. Chapter 13 A Chaste Kiss

**A/N - Thank you all for being as patient as you have been. I have no excuse except to say that the words were not flowing and I allowed myself to get distracted by some pretty new stories I had discovered. I tried to tell myself it was for inspiration, but who knows. So if the characters seem slightly off, I can only say that said distractions managed to dig further into my brain than I had thought. Ah well.**

**Oh, and can I say - Over 200 reviews? You guys roxors my soxors! Thank you!  
**

**On to the story!**

**Disclaimer - All the characters and general idea belongs to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just playing with them.

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**Bella's POV**

"Alice, why do I have to go to the hospital for this appointment? Can't Carlisle just see me at home?" I was complaining and I knew it, but if I never had to spend another minute in a hospital it would be too soon. I was not going to get my wish of course. She was already pushing me through the doors and down the hallway to Carlisle's office.

"Bella, did he not tell you what this appointment was for?" I shook my head, confused.

"Well, I can't spoil his surprise then, you'll see soon enough."

Have I ever mentioned how annoying she can be about that? It's fine for me to not know what's going on, but she has to know _everything_. It wasn't fair.

"Fine, but this means that you are going to let me dress myself for school on Friday."

"Why Friday?" she sounded confused. Good.

"Because it's my favorite day of the week and I want to have something to look forward too."

"You know, I will never understand you, but here we are." She knocked on Carlisle's door and barely waited for him to answer, "The door's open."

"So, Bella, do you know why you're here today?" I shook my head again. "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. You've had that bulky cast on for what, six weeks now?" I thought back and nodded after doing the math.

"Well, I'm going to have you go and get some x-rays taken and depending on what we see, we may be able to get you into a walking cast." He smiled brightly, like he knew this was the best news I had heard in weeks.

He wasn't wrong either, because it was the best news I had heard in weeks.

"Really? You mean it? I won't have to be carried or pushed around or anything else like that?" He smiled again. "Where do we go for these x-rays? Do I need a prescription? Can I get the cast off before the x-rays? How long will I have to wear the walking cast?" I realized I was babbling when both Alice and Carlisle were looking at me like I had grown a third eye.

"A bit excited, aren't we?" I nodded and had to bite my lip to keep from asking any more questions.

"Alice, why don't you take her to radiology and I'll get everything ready here."

One hundred and four minutes later I was back in Carlisle's office looking at the contraption he wanted to put on my leg.

"This is going to keep your bones stable and keep most of your weight off the bones themselves, but still put enough pressure on them to encourage new growth. You'll wear it most of the day, but won't have to wear it in the shower or while you're sleeping."

"Really? I can actually let my leg breath now? And take regular showers?"

"You'll still have to sit down, but you won't have to wrap your leg up in plastic anymore. After about two weeks of this, I'm going to have you start working with a physical therapist to get your joints moving again. I'm sure the first time you try to bend your knee, you'll feel why." Thinking back to the times I had broken my wrist and my arm, I knew it would not feel good at all. "Knowing that, I'm going to give you two new prescriptions for different pain medications. The first is Motrin that you need to take every morning and night and the second is for Darvocet so you have something for break through pain."

"I guess. You know I hate taking medications, Carlisle."

"I know, Bella, but in this case, it's going to be necessary. Your leg was broken pretty bad and we need to get you up and walking, which you won't do if you're in pain. At least if you're walking though, it means no more being pushed or carried anywhere, right?"

"True. Okay, let's get this cast off and put that darn contraption on."

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"Bella! We missed you at rehearsal today." Emmett's booming voice echoed through the house.

I looked over at him and decided to surprise him by standing up from the couch where I had been reading. I don't think I've ever seen him so confused before.

"Whatcha think?"

Emmett started to laugh as he walked up to me. He grabbed my hand and had me walk a few steps from the front of the couch. "Oh, you can walk now. Let me see this thing you've got strapped on that leg of yours." He had me spin and had to catch me about half way through. My balance had not improved after weeks of sitting down. "I see you're still as uncoordinated as ever."

"Hey, that's not very nice," I pouted.

"But still true." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "So where are we going to celebrate?"

"I don't know, I actually hadn't thought about that."

"Well, we still can't do anything too active…" he thought for a moment, "what about dinner?"

"I thought you just said nothing too active. Chasing down a few bears is _very_ active in my book," I told him trying to keep a straight face.

"Cute, real cute. Where is everyone else anyway?" He looked around the house and even seemed to cock his head off to the side to listen for them.

"Dinner," I said simply. "Alice said they'd be back about half an hour after you got home. She also said I'm not allowed to get up and get any of my own food right now and Esme said you were banned from the kitchen. What did you do in there anyway?"

"Oh, um, nothing. Hey, let's play Guitar Hero while we're waiting for them to get back!"

"I'm totally kicking your ass this time."

"Dream on, sister."

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"Oh come on, at least let me try to walk up the stairs before you decide I'm too incompetent," I whined. I had barely even put my first foot on the stairs before Edward had appeared out of nowhere and whisked me up the stairs.

"No way. You didn't see Alice's vision of you taking a nice tumble but I did," he told me as he put me down in front of my room. At least he was smart enough to let me walk into my room on my own for the first time since it had been finished.

I opened the door, turned on the light switch and took a moment to admire the changes from my new perspective.

The floor was now wood, but rather than the dark wood flooring, it was light and looked the color of sand. I had several rugs strewn about; one was a rectangular rug with several shades of blue and two spirals drawn on it in a darker blue. Another had what looked like a mirage of a sunrise in a red desert. The last one was a circular rug and it had a tower rising up surrounded by a hazy fog. I don't know what drew me to them, but none of the others that Esme had pointed out looked like something I would want, so she relented and let me have my quirky rugs.

The walls were a darkish purple fading to a light purple near my window-wall. Rather than white, the ceiling was painted the color that the Arizona sky is just as the sun is setting. A brighter shade of blue made the trim stand out. The windows were still uncovered, but there were light bamboo shades rolled up at the top waiting to be let down should I want to cover the windows.

The lighting was mostly from the ceiling, but rather than anything that hung down, they were the type of lights that you see in art galleries. There were three lines of lights total, every line having four lights each and all pointing in different directions. There were several lamps near my bed and my couch that could be turned on individually if I wanted a dimmer atmosphere, but still wanted to be able to read.

Esme and I had decided on a low, platform bed so that there would be less of a drop off should I decide to fall off the bed. I had never had the problem before, but I had never been aware that fate was out to get me, so we compromised there. It's an Asian design with the head and foot boards remind a lot of old Japanese temples. My bedside tables are part of the same design too. The covers and sheets were different shades of off white and a pale rose red with an elm tree on the covers and some of the pillows. The bed didn't fit anything else in my room besides itself, but I loved it anyway.

Since Alice took care of my wardrobe, I did not need a dresser or anything like that so I took advantage of the extra space and added several bookshelves that matched the color of the floor. They were different sizes to add to the eclectic feel and I had my few books and knick knacks on them.

Close to window-wall, I had a huge LoveSac pillow on a rocking platform for when I wanted to read by the window, and on the other side of the room from my bed and closet was a LoveSac couch. It was only as wide as a love seat, but I made it as long as a regular couch so I could lounge there and read or whatever. It also gave me a place to sit with Alice when we stayed in my room. Alice picked out the covers for the couch, Bella Ocean, because she laughed that I had my own line of covers. She picked out the one for the chair as well, which was black and looked like paper that had been crinkled up.

There were even a few pictures on the walls of different parts of the Arizona desert. Some were of places I had never visited before but they were still a part of the natural and rugged beauty that is the Southwest.

Esme had worked very hard to make sure that I was given free rein when it came to how this room was put together and she only gave her opinion on a few things like the floor, the bed and even the pictures. She really understood my need to be just a little different.

I must have been standing in the doorway for several moments just gazing at my room before Edward cleared his throat. Blushing, I took the next few steps into my room.

"You know, you've seen this all before," Edward said as he motioned with his hand.

"Yes, but never from this perspective. I've always been carried in here, never stepping in myself. There's a difference."

"Only you, Bella, would think that how you entered a room changed how you saw it."

"Well think about it. What happens if you are led into a room with your eyes closed and asked to open them after you're already in the middle? Now say you walk back into that room a day or two later. Your perspective is different."

He looked thoughtful for a moment before he ran his hand through his hair. "I guess you're right. I hadn't thought about it like that before." He gave me one of his crooked grins and I felt my heart skip a beat before it started to race. I did not understand how something as simple as his smile could make me feel like this, but it never failed to happen.

"So now that you're up here and have gotten a new perspective on your room, what are you planning on doing?"

I shrugged, "I was thinking about getting ready for bed and reading for a bit."

"Oh really? Because I was thinking we should start working on that project for biology. You know, the one that's due in three days."

"Oh crap! You're right. Let me get changed and maybe we can work on it on my couch." I tried to use any excuse I could find to stay in my room now that I had so much stuff that was mine in it. Edward knew it too.

"The couch it is." He laughed as he walked me over to the closet to help me with anything I couldn't easily reach. Just because I could walk now didn't mean I had gotten any taller.

"Thank you, Edward," I said as he handed me my clothing. He leaned down far enough to where his face was just above mine and I had an overpowering urge to lean up those extra few inches and kiss his cheek. I don't know what was driving me to do it, but he was so close and smelled so good and we were laughing and it just felt right.

So I did.

His skin was cold, but I was expecting that. What I wasn't expecting was how smooth and soft it felt even as it didn't give. There was even a little jolt of electricity which I had come to associate only with Edward. It actually felt very nice. The part of my mind that could form coherent thoughts was wondering if I should experiment further with this and see how other things felt.

His eyes got really wide and his hand shot up to his cheek, as though he thought he would be able to feel something different there. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he didn't seem to be angry or upset, just surprised. Maybe I should have thought about that before I kissed his cheek.

The clothing he was handing me started to slip and we both reached to grab them before they fell. Me being me, the little change in balance turned into a huge change in balance and I started to fall sideways.

Luckily for me, Edward was still right there next to me and he was able to easily catch me around the waist and brought me back up to standing, though much closer to him this time. He had pulled me into a close embrace, both his arms wrapped around my waist and my head was resting against his chest. I felt him lean down and whisper softly into my ear, "Perhaps you should let me do the catching, Miss Swan."

I made the mistake of breathing in and his scent clouded my brain. I knew that he smelled good, I had even commented on it before, but I had never been this close to him. Even when he caught me from my fall in the theater, I had not been _this_ close to him.

"Edward?" I mumbled into his chest.

"Yes, Bella?"

"Why do you smell so good?" He laughed.

"So I smell good to you, do I?" I could only nod in response. "Well, maybe it's payback for you being such a tempting feast yourself. Maybe you can't resist me anymore than I can resist you."

"But I don't want to eat you." I finally managed to pull my brain together enough to look up at him.

"Neither do I," he said, but there was something in his eyes I had never seen before. He looked hungry, but it was not the same type of hunger that I knew from the first few weeks I lived here. It was something else altogether. There was tension in the closet and it was building, but towards what I did not know.

"I don't understand," I murmured, looking down again. Edward moved one of his hands to my chin and slowly pulled up until I was looking into his eyes again.

"Bella, I haven't wanted to drink from your veins for weeks now. I've just wanted to be with you because you make me happy."

"Oh," such an inadequate word for such a strong revelation. "You make me happy too." As soon as the words passed my lips, I knew them to be true. I really was happy when he was around, and felt like something was missing when I could not feel him near me.

I smiled and saw his eyes darken, but again, it was not from needing to feed. I don't know what it was from but it frightened me and thrilled me at the same time. I wondered what my face must look like, but did not dwell on that. All my focus was on Edward and the mounting tension.

"Edward, I," but he put his finger on my lips, asking for my silence while he figured something out in his mind. I closed my eyes instead and just enjoyed the sensation of his cool, smooth finger on my over heated lips.

I felt Edward shift and his hands were gently holding my face. I opened my eyes and was lost in his topaz gaze again. I saw the hunger from moments ago, but that was not what caught my attention. The strongest emotion I saw in his eyes I could only describe as love. Before I could look deeper and try to understand it any further he closed his eyes and leaned forward and rested his lips on my forehead. I felt his lips moving as though he was saying something, but he was so quiet that I could not even feel a wind passing on my skin.

He pulled back and opened his eyes again. I saw his crooked grin and was lucky I was already leaning in to him, else I would have fallen all over again.

"I think we've got a project to work on," he said, louder than earlier. I could only nod. He led me in to my bathroom and left my night clothes on the counter before turning around and telling me that he'd be back with our school stuffs when I called out for him.

I sighed. I didn't know what was going on, but I had Edward Cullen on the brain, and he was starting to take up permanent residence.

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**Edward's POV**

I left Bella's room in a daze. I knew that I had to speak with Jasper before I saw Bella again.

_I'm in my study. Alice asked me to be available tonight. She didn't say why._

I couldn't help but be thankful and resentful at the same time. Alice had been trying to keep from mentioning anything about her visions lately and it was getting frustrating. But, she always made sure that people and things were where they needed to be, just in case.

I made my way down to Jasper's study and knocked once before opening the door. It was kind of like stepping back in time. This room is how I had always imagined Sherlock Holmes' house would look. It was also a historian's dream home.

Every wall was lined with shelf upon shelf of books. Several of those books could only be found here as the other copies had been lost and destroyed over the years. He kept those books in glass cases designed specifically for maintaining such delicate treasures.

It was always when I looked at this life that he led, here amongst his books and thoughts, that I wondered how it was that he had so much difficulty with our life style. Between his gift and his philosopher's mind, I have always felt that only Carlisle maintains a tighter hold on his own humanity than Jasper.

It is something that Bella had mentioned in passing only a week ago as well. I made a mental note to pay him another visit in the future. It has been a long while since we had debated anything and I do miss those discussions.

Jasper motioned me over to one of the chairs and carefully marked his page before placing it on a table nearby.

"You look as though you just saw a ghost! What happened?"

"I almost kissed Bella. And I think I may love her." I could still feel her body up against mine if I just closed my eyes. Her chocolate eyes were staring up at me, sparkling with excitement and happiness and desire. Her breath was still swirling her delicious aroma around my face, tantalizing my senses.

"Yes, I think you may too. I've been trying to warn you for weeks, but you didn't want to listen to me." He smiled to lighten the tone of his words. "Are you ready to talk and stop hiding?" I nodded. "Tell me what happened."

So I told him how she had started to fall in the closet and I pulled her up against me. How she had surprised me with her chaste kiss on my cheek. The way that electricity seemed to spark between us and we stared into each other's eyes. When I realized I wanted to kiss her, that I needed to. And how the puzzle pieces seemed to finally fall into place and I realized that everything I had been doing for her and everything I wanted to do with and for her was motivated by one thing. Love.

And the tumble my heart took when I realized that she had not come to love me back.

"You know, she already does. She loves you too, but just doesn't know how to recognize it yet." Jasper told me when I was done.

"And what good does it do me if she never learns to recognize it?"

"She will, in her own time. You just have to be careful of not pushing her away."

I thought about that for a few minutes. He was right, I did need to give her space and time, but now that I knew, how was I going to let her go at her own pace?

"Edward, don't worry so much. It will happen. Love has this funny way of making everything work out, even if it seems like it's impossible."

"But how am I supposed to act around her? I don't know the first thing about how this stuff works. You've got to help me, Jazz."

"For right now, you just need to let go and relax. The more tense and high strung you are, the more nervous you'll make her. As for how this stuff works, ask Alice, that's her thing. I feel the emotions, but she makes things happen."

I thought about that for a moment. He was right. Alice would probably know what to do. She also knew Bella better than anyone else in the family, so she would be able to tell me if something I wanted to do was a good idea or not.

"Thank you, Jasper. I get the feeling I'll be coming by to ask you for advice again."

"No problem, bro. I just want to see you happy. Now, why don't you go talk to your lady-love." I barely managed a nod before I heard her call my name from her room.

I raced back up to my room and grabbed the things we needed for our assignment and ran back to her room. She left her door open, but I felt uncomfortable just walking in, so I knocked on it once to let her know I was there.

I entered and saw her lying on her stomach on the couch she loved so dearly. Her hair was still wet and hung about her face. She was wearing a pair of soft purple pajama pants and a matching spaghetti strap night shirt. The color brought out the soft pink glow from her shower but also managed to highlight the silky ivory color that she always has.

I automatically swallowed the pool of venom in my mouth, but that was something that happened just from being around her. There was also a new hunger to swallow tonight. I don't know if it was just because I had never paid full attention before, but the force of my new desire to have _her_ almost made me double over. How was I supposed to sit here and calmly work on a stupid school project with her looking that irresistible right next to me?

It was going to be a very long night, and then however many days or weeks it took for her to figure things out on her own.

I laid down on the couch next to her and pulled out our books and the directions for whatever Mr. Banner was wasting our time with this time. We spent most of the time talking about plans for this weekend now that she could actually walk. Well, walk as well as Bella had ever walked, which was still an accident waiting to happen.

We talked about the most recent prank Emmett had gotten caught in and the ones she and he pulled off at school without getting caught.

We talked about how I was doing with my new compositions.

We talked about what she wanted to do after she graduated high school. I told her about my dreams when I was still human.

I had not realized how late it was until she was basically asleep with her book beneath her.

Smiling to myself, I gently picked her up and put her in her bed, but remembered to take off her new cast and lay it at the foot of her bed. I picked up our mess and put the bags near her doorway before returning to her side.

"Good night, my Bella," I whispered in her ear and kissed her forehead again.

I couldn't stay in the house with her just upstairs, but out of reach, so I ended up running, like I always do when I need to calm my mind and just be.

My angel, my Bella, would still be there in the morning and I would talk with Alice later. For that moment in time, I ran.

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**A/N - So there it is. Wow. That was new and different to write. Let me know what you think with those pretty reviews. And thank you to everyone who has already reviewed and added and favorited and all those fun happy things. I love you all for it, I really do. I'm curious to see what people think about this, because I have heard that you all wanted them to kiss... so there was a kiss - hey, you never said what sort of kiss, right? :-D Again, please let me know what you think, it really does help with the story writing and even kicks my butt in gear - thank you vallapd!**


	14. Chapter 14 A New Car

**A/N - So I really don't have much of an excuse for this one. I've been focusing more on work and sleep (I know silly things) which means I haven't been writing as much. I AM sorry that makes you all have to wait. It really is unacceptable, but I can't guarantee a change in the near future either.**

**I do still have to thank everyone so very much for your wonderful reviews and all the new alerts and favorites. You guys are just plain awesome!**

**But onward!**

**Disclaimer - Nothing belongs to me, SM owns all, I just get to play occasionally.

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**Bella's POV**

I was sitting in my chair by my window reading when I heard the soft knock on my door. "It's open," I told whoever was on the other side. I dog-eared the page I was reading of my now much abused copy of Romeo and Juliet before putting it down next to me. Turning was still a hassle with the walking cast I had on, so I waved for the person to come sit down with me.

"Good afternoon to you, too," Edward's velvety voice told me who was suddenly sitting next to me. A few months ago this would have made me flinch, but now, I just shifted so I could look at him.

"You interrupted Mercutio dying," I said with a shrug.

"Well, then I will just have to forego my plans to take you to your favorite bookstore today and let you finish reading Mercutio's death for the fourth time in two months."

"Oh, no you don't. Mercutio will still be here when we get back."

"Great. You won't mind a detour on our way there, right?"

My head tilted as I contemplated what that meant. Usually a detour meant he was going to try to buy me something else too. It was bad enough that they had let me in their home, but they spent so much unnecessary money on me and I could never repay them for everything. It upset me, but they would hear nothing of it.

"Where are we stopping and what are you forcing upon me now?" I asked probably a bit more terse than I should have.

"So feisty so early in the day I see." He rose from his seat and held out his hand to help me up. I thought about being stubborn and trying to get up on my own, but the chair was low and my leg really did make things more difficult. So I huffed and grabbed his hand. I had gotten used to the jolt I received every time we touched, but I still questioned why it happened. Never out loud though. I didn't want to give Emmett something else to make fun of me for.

Always the impatient one, Edward pulled me onto his back as soon as I was up and ran out of the house. Around the same time I had stopped flinching was the same time I had started to get used to being carried around at the dizzying speed they moved, so I no longer had to duck my head into his shoulder and keep my eyes closed.

It was actually kind of fun to watch the world fly past me in a blur. Not that I would say anything about that either. It would give Edward and Emmett and Alice more of an excuse to carry me around even after my cast was off.

We were in his car and he had barely turned the keys in the ignition when the back door opened and Alice popped in the car.

"You almost left without me!"

"I was just going to call you later," Edward muttered low enough that I wasn't sure I was supposed to hear.

"That's not fair, Edward. You know I want to help too."

"Help with what?" I asked, now confused about what they were talking about.

"You'll find out soon enough," was Edward's cryptic response. I frowned but didn't comment on it further. If he didn't want to tell me, I was not going to whine about it and give him the satisfaction of knowing how annoying it was.

Alice and I talked about how impressive it was that opening night actually turned out well after the disaster that had been the tech rehearsal just days before. It still made me shudder. I had _never_ had such a bad run before, and this time it actually wasn't because of the lights or the sound. It was the stage crew. Which Emmett and I made sure everyone else knew. Of course, Alice and Edward, both got another round of me ranting about it during the drive, but they just laughed at the end.

"What are you going to do with your free time once the show is done?" Alice asked.

"I actually hadn't thought about that. Probably read some of the books I'm getting now."

"Bella, you can't lock yourself up in your room to read all the time."

"Why not? It's not like I'm going out and getting in trouble or anything. You should be happy that I'm not doing anything wild and crazy."

"Maybe. You may change your mind later."

"You already know something, don't you?" Picking up on Alice's tone that said 'I already know what's going to happen' had been one of the first things I made a point of learning. It made it a lot harder to be surprised all the time if I already knew something was coming up.

"I guess we'll just have to see, now won't we?" she said with a smile and a wink.

"Whatever, Alice."

"We're here!" she sang out just as Edward pulled into a car dealership.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, already knowing the answer, but still needing it to be confirmed.

"You need a car," Edward said without looking at me.

"I guess so, but not anything this… shiny." If the sun had been out, I'm sure I would have been blinded by the glare. Then again, I wouldn't have even been here if it had been shiny. At least not with any of my vampire family. Something about being as sparkly as the cars in front of us would have alerted people that they weren't quite normal.

"Bella, we're not going to get you anything which may have been driven by someone who may have done damage to it," Edward told me, trying to sound all high and mighty.

"Edward, I don't need a new car." I knew I was going to lose this battle, but I figured I may as well try. Edward pretended like he didn't even hear me speaking and Alice was already talking with one of the salesmen. I sighed in resignation before finally caving in, "Fine. I'll get the stupid car. But I want a hybrid."

"Yes, Alice had mentioned that would be one of your requirements."

"Stupid, psychic," I muttered, which only earned a low laugh from Edward. It was like being smothered in velvety chocolate to hear that laugh. I think Deb would have described it as 'pretty damn sexy.' I felt the blush creeping up my cheeks from that thought, because in a way, she was right. It was sexy.

Actually, Edward's voice in general was sexy. And his hair, it was post sex hair every day. I of course knew this courtesy of Deb again. I sometimes caught myself wondering what it would feel like to run my hands through his hair, especially after I caught him doing it. I bet it felt silky and soft. Oh god, why am I thinking about his hair? My blush was turning an even deeper red and I once again was grateful that by some miracle he couldn't hear my thoughts.

"Bella, this is Sean, and he's got the car that you want," Alice said as Sean shook my hand.

"It sounds like you want the 2009 Altima Hybrid, which we happen to have just over this way." He led us to one of the cars that looked like it had been placed at the front intentionally. I began to have the sneaking suspicion that Alice had arranged all this a few days ago. Edward was obviously in on it too. They sometimes got so annoying in their efforts to make sure that I got things I really did not want.

It was a pretty car though. I didn't know anything about cars besides how to physically drive them, but that didn't keep me from appreciating the smooth lines and dark blue color.

Sean opened the passenger side door for me and Edward jumped in the driver's seat. Alice and Sean got in the back seat.

I was a little disappointed that Edward would be test driving it instead of me. I still couldn't drive with my leg in my cast, but it was coming off in a week. I would be able to finally drive myself places rather than rely on Alice and Edward and Emmett all the time.

Edward pulled out of the parking lot and I thought it felt really smooth. Not that Edward ever drove anything but smooth, but this car moved pretty much effortlessly. Sean started to drone on and on about the transmission and suspension and safety features, but I really didn't know what any of it meant, nor did I care, so I just nodded politely. Edward smirked at me, knowing exactly how I felt about Car and Driver talk as I come to label it after he and Rosalie discovered I didn't know the first thing about cars.

Finally, as we pulled back into the dealership, Sean started to talk about something I actually cared about. "This particular car has every luxury you could imagine: Bluetooth, touch screen and voice activated GPS, XM radio with CD and MP3 player, Bose sound system, moon and sun roof, leather interior,"

"Sounds great, Sean. It's got everything I could ever dream of having in a car," I interrupted him just as he sounded like he was building up steam. It was all too much and I didn't want to know anymore of what they were going to buy me, whether I wanted all of that or not.

"I'm glad to hear you like it. Now, if you follow me, we'll get you some quotes and see what you want to do." He began to lead us inside, but Alice stopped him short.

"I'll take care of the rest of the purchase. We just wanted to make sure Bella would like it as much as she thought she would." She turned to me, "Edward can go with you to your bookstore and by the time you get back, this will be yours."

"Thanks, Alice." I managed to smile for her and Edward, knowing that they were proud of themselves and their gift. I couldn't take away all of their enjoyment because I was being so stubborn.

I got back in Edward's Volvo and watched as he walked around the front of the car to get into his seat. I had always admired the grace with which they all moved, but he managed to be the most fascinating to watch. His grace was power and speed and focus all under tight control. It was amazing to watch him when he loosened up and let the speed and power loose. I had only seen it once when they had taken advantage of a thunder storm to play baseball, but I often thought about it. It actually gave me some appreciation for the game, but made me sad too, because that was Charlie's thing. I wondered what he would have thought if he could have seen that game.

"How come you're so sad, Bella?" Edward asked after a few silent minutes.

"It's nothing," I told him and tried to smile. But my heart wasn't in it. Memories of my mom or dad always made me a little sad, even if I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never see them again.

"I know it's more than nothing, Bella. You know you can tell me, right?" The corners of his eyes were tight with worry and I'm sure also frustration. As much as I liked that he couldn't hear my mind, it drove him crazy not to know.

"If you really want to know, I was thinking about Charlie." If it hadn't been Edward asking I probably would not have said anything, but for some reason, he always made me feel safe. I knew he wouldn't say anything to Esme or Alice about me being sad, and it was nice to be able to talk to someone about my parents too.

"I was remembering the baseball game that you let me watch right after I got here, and it reminded me of him. He had always tried to get me interested in all the sports he watched, but it wasn't until I watched you guys play that I finally got what he found so fun about watching the game. It makes me sad that I couldn't enjoy that with him when he was alive."

"You never mentioned that before. Is that why you always go upstairs when someone is watching ESPN?" I nodded, a little surprised he had been paying enough attention to notice a little thing like that.

"It's okay, Bella. You're allowed to feel that way."

"I know, but it doesn't keep me from missing them either." I stared out the window, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening, again. This time I wasn't crying only because I missed my family, but also because I was relieved. Relieved that I didn't have to explain anything more and Edward still understood. Somehow, even without being able to hear me, he still got me.

Before either of us could say much more, we reached our destination, my favorite bookstore, The Tattered Cover. I managed a small smile for Edward before he came around and opened my door and helped me out of the car.

Once inside, we both got lost within the shelves and books that led to far off lands and different times. It was several hours before Alice called and interrupted us, saying that she was bored and the car was ready to go.

We made our purchases, which for me included the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe, and left to join Alice for my dinner before we made our way back home.

I rode with Alice this time since she was driving _my _car. Those were two words I had never been able to put together before and it kind of nice. I grinned at Alice as she tested the engine then began to mutter something about Rosalie and 'tweaking' the engine. I complained that she was going to ruin a perfectly good car by playing with it before it even needed maintenance to which Alice scoffed at me. We went back and forth like that for the rest of the ride home and I couldn't help but conclude that despite the memories and having a car forced upon me, it was still a pretty good day.

* * *

I glanced at the clock for the fifth time in twenty minutes, debating whether I should try to talk to Rosalie or not.

Tonight was closing night and she still hadn't come to the show or even tried to support Emmett regarding it. He wouldn't come out and say it, but I knew he was disappointed every time he watched the doors to the house and never saw her walk through them.

Thinking of Emmett's saddened face again made up my mind. I was going to talk with her.

No one was in the house with me, so I knew she was out in the garage. It was where she went when she didn't want to be bothered by anyone. Emmett was out with Edward and Jasper to hunt, and I knew this was the only time I would get to talk to her without anyone else around to interrupt us.

I remembered the last time it was just her and I in the house. It was during that first week after I had learned the truth about them and she had been so scary. I had been pretty sure that I was going to die at her hands right then and there. I had been too terrified to move or scream or even breathe when she finally pulled herself away from the call of my blood.

I almost turned back around remembering that last encounter, but Emmett's sad face spurred me forward. I felt my heart beating faster than it should be. Out of the entire family, she still scared me, and I felt so exposed when I spoke with her, even with the family near.

_Come on, Bella. You can do this. She hasn't been too mean the last few weeks. It won't be so bad, you can do it._ I tried to give myself a nice pep talk as I walked through the yard. It was a real walk too. The type that you take when both legs are free and unencumbered by stupid medical equipment.

Carlisle had given the final okay for my walking cast to be discarded and I couldn't be happier about that. I was able to focus on that happiness to give me courage to talk to the woman who intimidated me still.

She didn't look up from her work when I walked into the garage, though I knew she could hear me. I watched her work with some pieces of the engine for several minutes, not saying anything, just silently watching.

She finally broke the growing tension, "Did you need something?"

"I just want to talk, if that's okay." She took a long look at me before she put the piece she was holding down and wiped her hands on a rag.

"What is it, Bella?" I think she was trying to sound welcoming, but I still felt like I was a nuisance to her, something that was barely tolerated.

"It's about Emmett and the show." She rolled her eyes at me.

"What about it? I was going to surprise him by showing up tonight. I still remember what you told me last time we spoke like this." So she remembered how our other conversation had gone too. I wonder if she had brought that up intentionally, to remind me that we were in the same type of situation.

"Oh. I guess that was really it then." I started to turn away to leave when she stopped me.

"I never thanked you for that." I looked at her, confusion written all over my face. "I talked with Emmett about it later that night, and a few times since. You were right. It's something he enjoys for more than just the novelty of spending time with you."

I stared at her, now surprised as well as confused. Of all things, an apology was the absolutely last thing I had expected from her. Rosalie was vain, conceited and while loyal to her family, also very inflexible in her opinions. To hear that she had not only considered my words, but also embraced them was probably a once in a life time event for me. Too bad it happened so early in my life with her.

Sometimes, at times like this, I am grateful that I will not live the life that they live, one of immortality. The very thought makes me shudder. To watch everything that is familiar fall away and become something that only some people remember and maybe, sometimes a few books will survive to tell the history of that time. I would never understand how that felt until it happened to me when I got to be very old and maybe would still visit with Edward, or Alice or even Emmett and Rosalie. They would still be seventeen or eighteen or twenty, never aging.

It was those thoughts that led to my blurting out a question without filtering it as I probably should have. "Rosalie, what's the thing you miss the most about being human?" Both our eyes widened at the same time as we processed the question.

She crossed her arms, her fingers tapping a rhythm on her arm as she thought about whether or not to answer my question.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie, that was thoughtless of me. You don't have to answer," I told her, trying not to get on her bad side again. She merely nodded before turning back to the car and picking up her parts and tools again. I stared at her back for a few moments before I slowly turned on my heels and began to walk out of the garage. I was almost through the door when I heard her voice, quiet and sad, "I wanted to have my own family."

I turned back to look at her, but her back was still towards me. I couldn't see her face, but I was pretty sure that if I could have, it would have been the same face I wear when I think of my parents. "I'm sorry Rosalie," I whispered back before I gave her the space she needed to grieve for her loss as she probably had dozens of times in the past seven or so decades.

I was happy she had Emmett to turn to, and that she had her brothers and sister and Carlisle and Esme as well, but I didn't think it was enough to cover the grief I heard in those few words. I think I began to understand Rosalie a little bit more; she was not always bitter and hateful because she wanted to be. She hated herself and the life she led. She mourned for the life she thought she was supposed to live.

That was fine to know for the time being, I just hoped she wouldn't be upset with me after the show tonight. I would not have put it past her to take it out on me that she had to reveal something so personal. No matter how much more I understood her, it still didn't make me feel any better when I was on the receiving end of her glares or when she ignored me like I was a piece of furniture.

But those were worries for later in the evening. I still had to get in my blacks and then I could drive to school with Emmett. He was even going to let me drive my car. That made me smile as I hadn't driven it yet and I was looking forward to seeing how it would feel to be behind the steering wheel after so many months of not driving.

There was a small part of my brain that was also worried about not being able to drive at all. It was a car that killed my mom and Phil and I wasn't sure if I would feel comfortable being in charge of a dangerous thing like a car. But Emmett will be with me, and if anyone can help me get past any fear or hesitation I had, it would be him.

A smile on my face, I got ready for the night and sent a silent prayer to the universe that I would be okay in the car and that Rosalie would not be upset. All I had left to do was wait for Emmett.

* * *

"Come on, Edward, it was your idea to go to the movies. Why are you dragging your feet now?" I whined. I wanted to drive my car and he was trying to force me to be the passenger.

"Humans just do not drive as well as vampires, Bella. It's all about the reflexes, which you do not have."

"I did just fine back in Phoenix, where there was far more dangerous traffic than the tiny town of Forks."

"Yes, well, you drive like a grandma, it will take hours for us to get there." He was reaching for excuses. I knew I just had to hold out a little longer and he would cave.

"Just because I have a healthy respect for the law does not make me drive like a grandma. My dad was a cop, remember? I can't help it that you have to drive at a minimum of double the speed limit." He laughed at that. He actually laughed!

"Regardless, I've still got the better reflexes."

"You know what, you can drive," he started to smile as if he thought he had actually won this debate. "_your_ Volvo, and I'm going to drive _my_ Altima. You can leave a half hour after I do and we'll get there around the same time."

"No way, Bella. What if you get into an accident?"

"People take that risk every time they open their door. A freak gust of wind could blow a sharpened stick through my heart too, but you don't see me cringing every time a tree sways, now do you?" I pulled something that I remembered from a childhood ghost story.

"Where did you come up with that scenario from?" Good, I had confused him enough that I probably just won.

Without giving him an answer, I walked out of the house and down to the garage. Casually opening the door to my car I slid into the driver's side seat. I hit the button to start the car and started to count down from ten. Before I reached four, but after I clicked my seat belt in place, the passenger side door opened up and Edward scowled at me as he got in.

I smiled sweetly at him as I carefully pulled out of the garage and out onto the driveway. Neither of us spoke for the first fifteen minutes of the drive, but we both felt the way that the air seemed to spark between us. Any time we were close like this and it was just us, I always felt so compelled to reach over and touch him. I couldn't understand it and it kind of scared me.

"So, what movie are we going to see?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Batman Begins."

"Really? I hadn't pinned you for a comic book sort of guy."

"They are actually an interesting perspective of the American psyche. You can watch the way that society has changed and the norms they have developed or wish to develop."

"All that from comic books? I don't get it," I admitted though it pained me to do so.

"Well, take a look at Batman. In his first few years, he was a very active participant in the Gotham community and was truly the Caped Crusader. He believed in humanity. As Americans became disillusioned with the world and the way politicians were beginning to fail them, Batman began to view humanity as something that really could not be saved. He never stopped working toward that goal, but he felt that he was fighting a war that had already been lost. And he's been getting darker ever since."

"Wow. There's a lot more than I had expected from a child's story book."

"I think there's a lot about it that would surprise you."

"So how do you know so much about it?"

"You forget how old I am, Bella. I've read most of the Batman, Superman, plus many others. I've still got most of the issues in storage somewhere. They were very popular for many years, and up until the 80's were actually pretty good stories."

"Oh," was all I could manage to say. I tried to imagine Edward sitting around reading comics, but just could not really see it. He was so serious all the time, and I had always seen comics as a genre intended purely for the entertainment of people that needed to see the pictures painted before them. I knew that wasn't the case with Edward.

"So what else about you should I know?" I couldn't help but ask him.

"That's an awfully broad question, Bella. Do you want to know more about what I've read? Or what movies or music I've liked? What I've seen as far as history? What I wish I had or had not been a part of? There's a lot that you don't know about me." I pondered that for a moment before I remembered back to the question that I had asked Rosalie last weekend.

"Why don't we start at the beginning? You've told me you were born in Chicago in 1901, but you haven't really told me anything else beyond that. Who were your parents and what did they do and what do you miss about it?" He looked serious before he slowly started to answer.

"You would have to ask wouldn't you?" He sighed, "I'll answer under two conditions. One, you don't interrupt," he held up his hand to stall my scowl and retort, "two, I get to ask you questions after. Deal?" I nodded not wanted to be accused of interrupting. He flashed one of his lopsided grins, his eyes sparkling with humor, and my heart sped up. Between his smile and eyes and hair and perfect face, I would never be able to look at any human and think they could even compare to Edward's Greek god-like features. He pretended to ignore my pounding heart and turned his attention to the passenger window, effectively releasing me from his gaze. A good thing too since I was driving.

"I was born Edward Anthony Masen, the only child of Elizabeth and Edward Masen, Sr. My mother, named me after my father, as was proper for those who were as affluent in society as my family. My father was a very good lawyer, which afforded my mother ample time and money to be involved in the many causes and organizations that made her happy. She volunteered her time and efforts to help people at church, in hospitals, and orphanages. She was a very special woman, my mother." I couldn't help but notice how reverently he spoke of her. For being 100 plus years old, he still loved his mother and if the term would have applied then, I would say that he was a 'momma's boy.' The thought made me smile.

"I do not remember much of my human years besides her and that she had wanted me to find a nice young woman and settle down to a family of my own. I wanted to join the military and become a hero in the war. I remember that every night for Grace she would ask God to end the war before I could up and enlist.

"World War I had been raging for four years before the Spanish Influenza hit Chicago during the fall of 1918. Hundreds got sick and the hospitals were overwhelmed. Wonderful woman that my mother was, she went to the hospitals and churches to volunteer her services and help the sick. I went with her several times, but with so many young people dying from it my mother asked me to stay home. She did not want me to get sick as well

"It wasn't me that she had to worry about though, at least not at first. My father got sick in the beginning of October. It was less than a week before both my mother and I began to feel unwell. I don't remember much from that time either, but I know that my father passed first. My mother probably would have recovered had she not spent so much time worrying over me. Or so Carlisle has told me. She passed next, and I should have followed her a few short hours later, but Carlisle intervened. Now here I am, nearly ninety years later, speaking with someone young enough to be my great, great grand-daughter." He laughed humorlessly at his joke. I was surprised to hear he was as bitter about his lot in life as Rosalie.

"Did you choose to be a, you know," I couldn't say it out loud, so I gestured to him instead.

"Vampire? No, I did not choose this. None of us did." He continued to look out the window, silently refusing to say anything further. The last five minutes of the drive we were surrounded in a heavy silence which even the music on the radio failed to penetrate.

I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking and to reassure him that somehow, everything would be fine. But I didn't know what was wrong, and I didn't know what he was thinking. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, I kept silent.

I pulled into a parking spot, and as soon as the car had stopped, he got out and seemed to breathe in the air outside the car like a man just rescued from drowning. I suppose in a way, he had been too. There were times that I forgot how hard it must be for him to be around me in such an enclosed space. I felt guilty for smelling so _appetizing_ to him and the rest of our family. I still wondered what it was that had made Alice see me and forced me into their lives.

Shoving my depressing thoughts away, I resolved to enjoy this movie and to learn a little more about the American psyche through the Caped Crusader.

I opened my door and got out, taking my time because my right leg was still weak and I was klutzy enough without that added complication.

Edward shoved his hands in his pockets, but waited patiently for me to join him around the car. I gave him a shaky smile as I walked past and made my way across the busy mall parking lot to get to the theater.

I should have been watching where I was walking rather than thinking.

I should have made sure Edward was walking beside me.

I should have asked Alice if we needed to worry about anything today.

I should have remembered that no matter how careful I tried to be, fate was still out to get me.

There were so many things I should have done, but none of that mattered.

I stepped out into the main traffic lane with barely a cursory glance to see if anything was near me. I missed the car that was turning into the lane and cut off the truck, making it veer straight towards me. My leg chose that most opportune of moments to give out on me as well, leaving me on the ground in front of the wildly veering truck.

My mind had hardly grasped any of that when I heard Edward's gasp and felt him snatch me away, probably faster and with more force than he should have for such a public place. Not that I really could complain since it kept me from being squished beneath the huge tires.

I heard him muttering a stream of what I'm assuming were curses, too fast and too low pitched for me to be able to hear, especially over the squealing tires and horns of the vehicles that barely missed each other and me.

"Bella, if you ever do that again, so help me, God, I will…" he didn't finish the rest of the thought as the driver and passenger of the truck had stepped out of their car.

Edward pulled me up so I was standing and we turned together to face the new-comers. I didn't really see them though. I was still staring too closely at Edward, surprised by the murderous glare he was sending towards the truck and its driver and passenger.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there and then the other car, and I couldn't control it and, I'm sorry," the driver said quickly.

Edward opened his mouth to say something, but the look on his face was scary and I didn't want to hear him start yelling at this kid when he really did sound sorry.

"Don't worry, you can't control things like that, and look, no one's hurt, it's fine," I said just as quickly. Edward glared at me, but I could deal with that.

The kid focused more intently on me and looked like he was trying to ignore Edward.

"Bella? Bella Swan?" he asked, hesitantly. My eyes snapped to him, astonished that anyone here would know me.

He was a young man, probably around my age, but he looked older due to his height and muscles. He was at least five inches taller than me and had broad shoulders and arms to match. His hair was black and very long, past his shoulders and left hanging free. He was very tan, especially compared to me, so much as Edward, and his eyes were a deep brown as well. His face was very open and almost innocent. His friend had similar features, but was obviously younger, perhaps thirteen or fourteen.

"Umm, yes. Do I know you?"

"I'm Jacob Black, your dad and my dad were fishing buddies." He looked in my face for any sign of recognition, but I was still drawing a blank. "When you came and visited in the summer, he would drag you down to the Rez so he could fish and you wanted to read while my sisters and I tried to get you to play hide and seek." As he drew the picture for me, I was able to find some very fuzzy memories of a much younger boy and two slightly older girls playing on the banks of the lake that Charlie like to fish in and me pouting in a chair, upset that I couldn't read.

"I think I remember that, your sisters were twins, right? And your dad's name is Billy?" I asked, unsure whether I had it right or not. His answering grin was all I needed to know that I had gotten the answer right.

"Hey listen, Seth and I'll get your tickets, you know, for almost hitting you and all."

"That won't be necessary, Jacob. Just don't do it again," Edward spoke for the first time. He was obviously struggling with his anger, but trying not to let it show. He gave them a nod before trying to lead me towards the theater again.

"Oh, okay. Hey, it would be cool if you wanted to come by and visit. I know Billy'd like it," Jacob said before I turned towards Edward again.

"Sounds good, I'd like to see him again."

"Great, I'll see you then."

He turned back towards his truck at the same time that Edward grabbed my hand and physically pulled me towards the theater. As much as I enjoyed my hand in his, I was annoyed with his rude attitude.

"What was that all about? They were just trying to be nice!"

"Bella, they almost ran you over, and would have if I had not been able to pull you out of the way fast enough. I am sorry if I find it difficult to be civil under those circumstances."

"Look, we know this stuff is going to happen. Alice's visions and fate out to get me and all that stuff." I was really upset at his attitude, "Plus, if he hadn't almost run me down, I wouldn't have met him and gotten an invite back to talk to his dad. It would be nice to talk with someone who knew my dad." I knew it would be hard to talk about him, but at the same time, I wanted to hear from someone else who knew my dad very well. I know Charlie spent most of his off time fishing, which meant a lot of time with Billy Black.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go to the Reservation."

"Why not? It's not that far away and I already know Jacob and Billy. I'm sure they wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"I just don't think it's a good idea. There's a lot more out there that can hurt you besides fate and people like our family."

"Like what, Edward?"

"Please just listen to me, Bella." He saw the look on my face and changed tactics. "Let's just go watch the movie and we can talk about it on the way back to the house, okay?" His way of saying wait until we're in a more private setting.

"Fine. But I still think it's stupid."

* * *

**A/N - So there be the end of chapter 14. To head off some questions before I get them, no Jake nor are not wolves yet, they don't know about Edward, but he is completely freaking them out since he's on full blown scary vamp mode. Think about it, if Bella's scared of him, then we know it's bad. Sorry to stop so abruptly, but this was already 15 pages and I think it told what needed to be told. I'm trying to show time passing by, but still hitting some high points, so you'll have to forgive any jerkiness due to it.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! It really does help me out and it makes it easier for me to write what you want to read.**

**A thought I've been meaning to put out for a while, while you're waiting for my updates, check out some of the stories in my favorites, they are all fantastic stories and make me cry myself to sleep wanting to be able to write like that. Okay, not really, but you get the idea.**

**Also, links are on my profile for some of the stuff in Bella's room, as well as her car.  
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	15. Chapter 15 Home

**A/N - So it's once again been a week before you guys get your update. I don't know what to say besides fact that real life has completely kicked my ass the last few weeks. And I want to add school back into the mix. God I must be crazy.**

**Regardless, fear not that I will forget this story. I am really enjoying writing it, I just haven't had a lot of days off since my last update (2 to be exact, which normally isn't much but when you work five 12 hour shifts with 2 more coming up and one 8 hour shift you'd be tired and worn out too) to actually write this out. Okay, enough of me complaining. Here is the chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. I promise that I am trying to move the story along, I've just got to set up the key players. :-)**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer - I own nothing Twilight-esk what-so-ever. All belongs to SM. She's just kind enough to let me borrow the Twilight U for my little adventures. :-)

* * *

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**Edward's POV**

I had really been looking forward to taking Bella to this movie. She was so well read and versed in the classics from well before my time, but hardly paid attention to what was going on in the 21st century. We really needed to change that.

After our encounter with the Black child, I found myself unable to enjoy this movie as much as I thought I would. And based on the stiff way Bella was sitting, she wasn't able to relax and watch the movie either.

So much for a good and fun 'date.' At least that was how I was looking at it. Bella only saw it as me taking her out to have a good time as friends, but I wanted so much more and didn't know how to say anything. I was hopelessly frustrated by my lack of knowledge as well as my inability to do anything about it. Of course I would have to fall for the one person in the world that I couldn't hear.

She was suddenly scowling at the screen and I looked up in time to see the Wayne manor being burned to the ground. I wanted nothing more than to be able to know what she was thinking right at that moment, but even without knowing what she was thinking I found myself fascinated by how she could still be beautiful while looking angry. She was so fragile, but her emotions had more depth than most other humans and they ended up overpowering her. It would be nothing for her to go from laughing with Alice about something or other to holding back tears at being reminded of her family. She would cry about it later that night.

Every time I heard her crying in her bed, I wanted nothing more than to rush in and hold her in my arms and soothe her until she felt better. But I couldn't. She would try to put up a front, saying she was fine as soon as I walked in. Or she would be angry with me for wanting to help. She would always do the last thing I expected.

Like now. She appeared to really be interested in the movie, though when we first walked in she had made it very clear that she only wanted to get it over with so she could bombard me with more questions. As soon as I thought she had asked all the questions she could come up with, she surprised me with another.

Take for example, her questions about me earlier. I had secretly hoped for and dreaded her asking about my past. I wanted to tell her everything about myself, but only if I knew how she felt about me. At the same time, I was always afraid that I would say or do the one thing that would drive her away. I expected my age to be one of them. But Bella hardly even blinked when I told her when I was born and a little about my life, as much as I can remember at least.

She had really surprised me by asking if I chose to be a vampire. Who would choose this life of lies and killing and death? I knew every other individual in my family felt the same as well. As human as we tried to be and act, it was only that, an act. We all wore masks that covered the blood thirsty, instinct driven creatures that we truly were. We were monsters, each and every one of us.

But Bella didn't see us that way. She saw us as _people,_ not as vampires, even with us daily showing how different we were. She had stopped jumping when I was suddenly sitting next to her. She didn't pull away from my cold hands like everyone else did. She enjoyed the speed with which my family and I carried her when we got impatient with her slow pace.

To her it was normal to live with vampires.

I have, on several occasions, wondered just how she was able to accept everything we showed her. There had to be some point in time where there would be just one thing too many and she would want to have nothing to do with us. Every time we shared another thing with her, she always took it all in stride. How she did it, I'm not sure, but every single time she did.

I had been so distracted by my thoughts that I had lost interest in the movie and was now watching Bella. I would occasionally take times like this to try to understand her better. The little expressions she made, the light in her eyes or the way she tilted her head off to the side when she was questioning something, each one had a meaning. Over the months I had learned to interpret those little signs, but it seemed like every day there were new little things she did.

Like now, rather than her normal pout that she wore when she was upset, one of the corners of her lips was pulled down in a frown, but her eyebrows were pulled together like they were when she was thinking.

The only thing that made sense to me was that she was upset with me, but she was also trying to figure something out. Probably why I was upset with her going to La Push. I didn't know if I would be able to explain it to her. She ran around with vampires for a family, I don't think she would understand that werewolves are just as dangerous. Sometimes more dangerous than vampires.

That's not even including how I felt about this Jacob Black character. His thoughts had immediately gone from being sorry he almost ran her over to wondering whether he would be able to get to know her far more intimately than he had any right to. It never even crossed his mind that perhaps Bella and I could have been dating. As a matter of fact he barely even registered that I was there until he caught my glare. At least he had better instincts than Bella. He was able to recognize that there was something not right with me, something dangerous.

Bella's little frown turned to a smile and I couldn't help but smile at right back. She really was one of the most beautiful women I had seen. Especially when she smiled and her eyes lit up like they were right now.

She turned towards me with that smile and I felt my dead heart try to jump in my chest. I almost forgot how irritated with the day I had become. Her breath hitched and her heart seemed to skip a beat before it began to race. I couldn't help but softly chuckle at her reaction.

"You're dazzling me again," she accused, leaning in closer to whisper it in my ear.

I inhaled her heavenly, torturous perfume, my eyes closing on their own. Her face was right next to my ear and all it would take was the smallest of movements to brush my lips against her warm skin. It took more control than I cared to think about to turn my head and miss touching her face to whisper in her ear, her hair tickling my cheek and getting caught in my eye lashes.

"It's not my fault you are so susceptible to my smile."

She rolled her eyes at me before pulling away and returning her attention to the movie. I was saddened by the distance between us, wanting nothing more than to pull her onto my lap and just holding her close to me forever. Of course, I would never do that without her physically sitting in my lap first. I had been raised in a time when the very act of a woman sitting on a man's lap was seen as improper at the very least. What my mother would say knowing I was even thinking about that very act made me shudder.

Soon after I had 'dazzled' her, the movie ended and we made our way out of the theater. She began to talk about how interesting it was that Bruce Wayne had given up everything he had been born with until he took up the responsibility of protecting an entire city.

It was fascinating to watch her talk, she moved her hands to emphasize her points and her voice was bright and full of life. I found myself wishing I could incite that same enthusiasm in her with something that was a part of me. I know she liked it when I played my piano, but for as content as she seemed to be, she never got excited. If I could get that reaction from her, then I would talk with her about how I felt. I only hoped that by then she would maybe feel something similar for me.

But I wasn't even sure what it was that I felt. Jasper kept telling me it was love, but how could I trust that. He _wanted_ me to find love and finally be happy with another person like he and Alice were with each other. It was very possible that he wanted it to see it bad enough that he was reading into what I was feeling towards Bella.

I hoped not, because from what I could gather of his thoughts, Bella felt more for me than she should towards a brother figure. She was confused and ignoring it, but whatever she was feeling had started to grow as she got more comfortable. Maybe it wouldn't be too long before I would know.

We had reached her car by the time my thoughts had reached that conclusion and I was somewhere between happy and content and very confused. It was very unsettling to feel so unsure of things that directly affected me, and Bella was the center of my world now.

Rather than argue over whether or not she should drive, I opened her door for her, and she let me without complaining. Having to move at a human pace, by the time I got around to my own door she had started the car and was messing with the stereo to find a station she liked. She settled on an alternative rock station that was playing Rise Against when she had turned to it. She immediately began to bop her head in time with the beat.

Her taste in music amused and surprised me every day. On our drive down here she had been listening to big band swing from the 40's. She had even hummed along to Benny Goodman.

She waited until we were out of town before she looked over at me, her face serious.

"Talk," she commanded.

"What would you like to know?" I was unsure what she wanted to know and I didn't want to tell her more than I had to. An example would be Jacob's thoughts. They were not something that a man should think about a woman not his wife.

"First, why do you not want me to go to the reservation? Second, why were you glaring at Jacob like that? And third, why do you think you even have the rights to tell me what I can or cannot do?" I was expecting the first, but the second and third were topics I had hoped she would ignore. But this was Bella I was dealing with, which meant she would always do the last thing I expected.

"Like I said earlier, Bella, there are creatures out there that are just as dangerous as I am."

"What could be as dangerous, or more dangerous, than a vampire? You guys are the epitome of dangerous and lethal and grossly powerful all bundled up into human form." I think that was just about the most intelligent thing Bella has said all day. She at least had some idea of what she was living with.

"You have no idea how relieving it is to hear that you recognize that. But to answer your question, we are not the only mythical creatures in the world. How much do you know about werewolves?" She shrugged and I took that to mean not much. "They are the natural enemies of vampires. They are probably just about the only creatures besides other vampires that can destroy us."

"Werewolves? But what does that have to do with La Push?" she interrupted.

"I was getting to that. The first time we moved here, hold on, let me tell you the story then you ask more questions." I stopped her from interrupting, again. "Anyway, the first time we moved here in the 30's there were people here, the Quileutes, who knew what we were. They had very old legends which included vampires, they very appropriately called them Cold Ones, and had learned the dangers of welcoming Cold Ones into their territory. The leader, chief I suppose, of the tribe not only knew who we were, but could shift into a very powerful wolf form at will. Rather than pick up and leave, or start an all out fight with the Quileutes, Carlisle made a treaty with them.

"We're not sure, but I would not be surprised if there were still werewolves on the reservation. They are very unpredictable and dangerous, even to humans near them. You are part of the family now, and I would not want something to happen to you."

"You really think that there are still werewolves there and that I would be in danger from them?" I nodded, not wanting to push my luck with more forceful arguments. Bella was unpredictable in her decision making, but I would not put it past her to decide to visit the Black household only because I was so against it.

"Okay, second question then, why didn't you like Jacob?" At least I had a straight forward answer to that question, even if I didn't necessarily want to answer it.

"His thoughts toward you were inappropriate. He had no right to be thinking of you like that, especially with me standing right next to you."

"So, because you could hear his thoughts, you don't like him."

"You make it sound like I'm acting like a child when you put it that way."

"No, I just think it's cute when you're jealous."

"I am not jealous, Bella. What right do I have to be jealous. It's not like we're dating or anything like that. We're just friends." I wanted to be so much more than friends. I avoided thinking about it any further than that. I wanted to keep the possibility that we could be anything more open. I needed to have that to look forward too.

"Fine, you're not jealous. You're irritated that he didn't even think about you. You're used to being in the very front of every person's thoughts whom you encounter and it peeves you that he just ignored you."

"Great, now I am jealous or narcissistic." I frowned at her words though, because they were partially true. I _was_ used to always being noticed by those around me. The fact that Jacob had focused solely on Bella was unnerving.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, Edward. I don't think you are narcissistic, and if you are jealous, I think it's cute. But that leads to my next question; why do you have the right to tell me what I can or can't do?"

That was the hardest question for me to answer. What could I honestly say without revealing how much I felt for her? Or seeming over bearing or over protective, both of which would result in her stubbornness taking hold of her common sense. I decided to use the treaty as my primary argument.

"Besides the fact that you are family and we care for you and your safety in the general proximity with other mythical creatures, none of us can go on the reservation if anything should happen. That was part of the treaty. We would stay away from them, they would stay away from us."

"You really can't go on the reservation?"

"No, we can't. If any one of us did, whatever wolves were there would have every right to tear us apart and destroy us." She looked thoughtful while she stared out the window, watching the road. I wanted nothing more than to be able to look into her eyes to catch even a glimpse of her thoughts, but just as in the theater, I was denied my wish.

"I guess I could always see if they would like to meet up somewhere else," she finally said. It was a sort of compromise, and even if I didn't like Jacob Black, he was still someone from her past. I did not have the right to keep her away from him or his family because of a personal grudge.

"That is something that we could look into, yes."

She rewarded me with another big smile, which I couldn't help but return. At least I was able to make her smile over something. She turned back to watching the road and we finished the drive in silence, enjoying the music on the radio.

She still had a small smile on her face when we finally got to the house. I decided then and there that agreeing with her was something I would have to do more often in the future.

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**Bella's POV**

I knocked lightly on Alice's door, hoping she was home right now. I wasn't disappointed when her door opened quickly. "Bella!" she exclaimed before she grabbed my hand and pulled me in the room and onto her bed.

We had started to develop our own ritual that either one of us could initiate to say we needed to talk. I pulled her into a big hug before I picked up the brush from her bedside and handed it to her. She brushed my hair and would braid it or whatever she wanted while we talked. For some reason, I hated it when she made me play Bella-Barbie, but at times like this, it wasn't her trying to make me look perfect like her or Rosalie, which made it okay. It was soothing for both of us.

"I'm thinking about going to my dad's house this weekend," I told her after taking my time to gather my thoughts.

"You've already made the decision, I saw it." I smiled and couldn't help shaking my head slightly.

"Have I ever told you how wonderfully odd it is to have you as a sister?"

"No, not yet, but thank you." She ran the brush through my hair several more times before continuing. "I can see that you made the decision, but what led to it?"

"It's my house now, and it's a part of my dad. I don't know why, but it seems right for me to go. I think I just need more closure with him. I never got to say goodbye," I finished in a mumble.

"I understand your need for closure, Bella. It's important and I think it will help you to decide what you are going to do over the next few years."

"Thank you, Alice. That's exactly what I needed to hear, I think."

We were silent for the next few brush strokes, seeking comfort in the act of feeling both useful and cared for.

"You've never called me your sister before," she said quietly, breaking the silence. I thought back to the last several months and realized she was right.

"I've thought of you that way since at least February. You're my best friend and sister all wrapped up in one fashion loving, high energy, happy, pixie like, vampire. What more could a girl want?" I half-joked. Only half because I meant every word.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Bella!" Alice threw her arms around me and gave me an awkward hug from behind, the brush still in her hand. "You have no idea how much it means to hear you say that!"

"Awe, Alice, I thought you knew that already." I managed to turn around and returned her hug.

Almost a full minute later she returned to brushing my hair, but the energy was different now. I could feel the happiness radiating from her and it made me feel happy too. I really did love Alice. She was the sister I never had and probably didn't deserve.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah, Alice?"

"You're the best sister and friend a vampire could ask for."

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It was Friday, right after school and Alice and I were on our way to my old house, a few duffle bags packed to last us through Sunday.

I was somewhere between completely terrified and calm about what we were doing.

I was terrified because I didn't know what to expect. Would the house look the same? Would it all be packed up and empty? Would it feel like it was still my dad's house, or would there be nothing to tie him to it? What will _I_ feel walking in there.

The calmness was because I wasn't alone. Alice would be with me, and I knew she would be able to help me regardless of how I felt.

The little white house was at the very end of the road before it turned, so there was only one house near it. The back and side of the yard never truly ended so much as got taken over by the forest. I was pleasantly surprised with how well kept it looked, but I had a vague recollection of Charlie setting up something with a neighbor or someone like that to take care of the yard and exterior should anything happen to Charlie before I was old enough to do what I would with this property. Charlie was nothing if not a man with a lot of time to worry about things like that, and with him being a cop, he often made sure that every contingency was taken care of. He was the exact opposite of mom in that way. She never planned more than a few days or weeks into the future.

Alice pulled her car up and into the driveway and turned the motor off. She seemed to understand my need to prepare myself before I found the key on my key ring we would need to get in. Legally at least. I was pretty sure Alice could easily get in however she wanted. There were some advantages like that to being a vampire.

I got out of the car and slowly made my way to the door. I was trying to feel for my dad, but all I felt was the forest, which seemed to be dark and intimidating right now. I told myself I had nothing to worry about with Alice here, but that didn't push the feeling away. I chose to ignore it instead.

The key turned easily and the door opened just like it had every time I visited Forks to see him. My hand automatically reach for the light switch I knew was to the right of the door and I was relieved to see the lights in the living room turn on, bathing the room in their artificial glow.

The walls were still the same pale, off white color. The couch was covered by a dusty white sheet, as was the recliner. Where there should have been pictures on the mantle above the fireplace, nothing was sitting. The same with the dusty end tables. I wasn't expecting to see those pictures, but it still hurt not to see them. They had tortured me when I was younger. It had seemed like my father was stuck in the past, still in love with my mother and the life he thought they should have lived. But the pictures were as much a part of this house as he was.

I turned to my left to go into the kitchen, and saw the same yellow cabinets, the paint starting to peel in places my mother had painted before she left with me. The same white curtains hung above the windows, trying to let as much light in as possible. The rickety old dining table still sat against the front wall just beneath the window there. There wasn't much to miss here, so it almost felt like my father's kitchen, the place that he rarely used except to fry eggs and fish. I smiled at that memory. I had started to cook for him as soon as I got old enough because he couldn't cook for himself.

Alice was silently following behind me, letting me walk through the home, walk through my memories. I gave her a weak smile when I slowly left the kitchen and made my way the stairs to the bathroom and bedrooms. The bathroom was the first door on the right, my bedroom door right next to that. My dad's door was further down the hall and on the left.

I chose to visit my room first. The room was pretty much the same as it had been when I had last lived here with the exception of the white sheet draped over the bed. The walls were a light blue color, yellow curtains and a white rocking chair in the corner. All my old craft projects proudly displayed on the walls were another testament to my father's hold on the past.

I planned on sleeping in here tonight and tomorrow night, so I pulled the sheet off the bed. My bed covers and everything were packed away somewhere, but luckily I was with Alice, and she had packed some linen and a blanket for this exact situation. I smiled at that. I never had to worry about not being taken care of now that I'm living with the Cullens.

We put our things down in there before I took a few deep breaths to prepare myself for going into Charlie's room. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I didn't think that seeing another empty room would be helpful to me now. I needed to see some proof that he had lived here besides some yellow cabinets and unpainted walls.

I gently pushed his door in and took a look around before stepping into the room. The bed was covered like the rest of the large furniture, but it looked like this was the room that someone had decided to store some of the boxes from downstairs. It was no longer Charlie's room with it being treated like a storage place, but the first box I saw was labeled 'Pictures' and the behind that was 'Bella's Room' and next to that was 'Renee's things.'

I finished looking around the empty bedroom before I moved to pick up the box with the pictures, but Alice beat me to it and picked up the three boxes I had noticed. Leave it to Alice to see my plan and act on it.

"Thank you, Alice."

"Anytime, Bella." I received a large smile from her as I followed her back to my room. It seemed as though who ever it was that packed up the house had not been as intent on packing up everything in my room and only packed things like my books or the few CDs I had left here.

"Do you want to eat, or look through these first?"

"I'm not all that hungry and I'd like to share the pictures with you."

She made the bed quickly, by my standards at least, while I moved the box labeled 'Pictures' closer to the bed and opened it. Alice then helped me unpack everything onto the bed before we began to go through them.

There were all my school pictures from the time I was four until I was fifteen. He hadn't been alive for mom to send the last two years of pictures to him. Then there were the pictures of me and him when I came to visit during the summers. Usually, we were outside near the lake he liked to fish at, or the beach on La Push. There were even a few of me playing with some of the kids near the water. I had to assume at least one of the boys was Jacob and two of the girls that looked so similar to each other were his older sisters.

We looked through the pictures, commenting about how goofy this person looked or how handsome Charlie looked there. She asked me so many questions about who everyone was and what they were like. Some I could answer easily, others I could only shrug. Many of the pictures were from my early childhood and all I had to go by were the stories Charlie had told me years ago. She was patient with me though, and didn't press when a picture was more difficult for me to talk about, whether due to lack of memories or too many emotions.

It was well after eight before we took a break for me to eat. Rather than continue to look through the other boxes we had picked out, we sat and just talked on my bed about everything and nothing. Alice surprised me once when she picked up the last picture that had been taken when my family was still together. I was a little over one, and mom and dad still looked happy. She looked at it so longingly, I started to wonder why she had never mentioned her own family.

"Alice, do you miss your family?" She looked at me for a long moment before she decided to answer.

"It's hard to miss people I don't remember. I don't remember anything about my human life."

"Nothing at all? Not even what happened to change you?"

"The oldest memory I have is waking up in woods next to a little pond. Before I could move, I saw myself meeting Jasper, and then us finding Carlisle and Esme and the rest of their family. I didn't know how to control my visions then, so I was literally living with one foot in the present and one foot in the future. In a way, it was a good thing too, because I had visions of the way that Carlisle lived, how they fed off animals rather than humans. It made it a lot easier to understand why my throat burned and explained why I couldn't control myself when I smelled a deer walking nearby.

"I wasn't always able to control myself when a human happened to pass too close to the different spots I was hiding for the first few years. Eventually, I achieved enough control to maintain the vegetarian diet I had adopted after the Cullens and could walk into cities and stores, if not comfortably, at least without killing anyone.

"I met different vampires through the years I searched for Jasper, some who explained more about what I was and what we could do, and others were not so helpful, but I was able to get away from them before they really knew what was happening. I hate to think what would have happened to me had I not had my visions. They saved me from myself and from most dangers, over and over again.

"I think it had been probably close to thirty years before I finally found Jasper in an old diner. He had never met me before, but he was always the gentleman. I remember I told him that he had kept me waiting for a long time and he had ducked his head and said 'I'm sorry, Ma'am.' It was only another few years before we found Carlisle and the rest of the family." She smiled fondly at that memory, though the rest of her story had been quite sad.

"She forgot to mention the fact that she's tortured me from the first moment we met," Edward's voice interrupted from near the doorframe. He startled me so bad that a little half scream half gasp escaped my throat as I jumped and tumbled off the bed. Edward caught me before I managed to actually hit the ground, but that didn't make me feel any better.

"You. Should. Not. Do. That. To. People." I emphasized every word with a poke in his chest and a very stern glare. "I do not appreciate being scared half to death by a stalker vampire." I looked over at Alice then, "And why didn't you at least warn me?"

"I was too lost in my memories to see him deciding to come over here," she said sheepishly.

"Fine. Now, why are you here?" I asked, rounding on Edward.

"Can I not miss my friend and my sister?" he said with a shrug and tilting his head to the side as if wondering why I would question his motives. I just raised an eye brow, thinking he still had an ulterior motive, though what it was I didn't know. He gave me his little half smile and I felt my irritation melt immediately. Him and his damn grin got me to do whatever he wanted. It wasn't fair.

"Well, this was supposed to a girls night thing, but I suppose we'll let you stay." His eyes brightened and he truly looked excited. That was the moment when my brain decided to register just how close we still were.

His hands were still on my waist where he had caught me and we were standing inches apart with me looking up into his topaz eyes. His hair seemed to catch the light in just the perfect way, the highlights and shadows emphasized by the way it looked like he had just run his hand through it multiple times today. My breath hitched and my heart began to race like crazy at the same time that I felt my cheeks turn a bright red. I ducked my head and hid my face behind my hair. Now all I had to concentrate on was how his hands felt on my waist and the electricity that was buzzing through my body.

I couldn't understand my reactions at all, and bit my lip, an unconscious habit I had long ago began to do when I was especially nervous. I could almost feel Edward smirk at me before he let his hands drop away and move closer to the bed to look through the pictures there.

It was his turn to ask questions about the pictures and I answered enthusiastically, happy to be distracted from my confusion. I really needed to figure out what was going on between us.

It was well past midnight before we called it a night and got ready for bed. Well, I got ready for bed, and they gave me the room to myself.

I fell asleep half an hour later or so with thoughts of Edward Cullen on my mind. His hands, his hair, his perfect body, his perfect face, his crooked grin, and his eyes all floated before my mind's eye. I think I must have continued to dream about him through the rest of the night because when I woke up to his smile and crazy hair, it felt like it was the most natural thing in the world.

We passed the rest of the weekend in relatively high spirits. Alice hid anything that even resembled fabric for clothing from me, refusing to let me even think about packing it. Edward scoffed at my CD 'collection.' When they weren't making fun of my taste in clothes or music, we were looking through boxes and picking the things I wanted to take back to my room at the Cullen mansion and packing the rest away again, for me to decide what to do with later.

I felt it was a great weekend, spending time with just Alice and Edward laughing and joking, forgetting there was a world outside Charlie's old house.

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**A/N - So there be the end. I really do hope you enjoyed. Now here is where you click on the big button on the bottom of your page and let me know what you think. I adore reviews and try to take my time with writing a response catered to each person. It's kinda fun actually. Anywho, I'll see you all on the flip side. Hopefully earlier in the week than Sunday too.**


	16. Chapter 16 Visitors

**FIRST - TAKE NOTE - THERE IS A SUGGESTIVE SCENE HERE WHICH I REFUSE TO REMOVE. NO CLOTHING IS REMOVED (thus the reason for no change in rating), BUT SOME MAY STILL WISH TO SKIP IT. THERE IS A NOTE IN THE MIDDLE TO LET YOU KNOW WHERE TO AVOID READING AND WHERE TO PICK UP AGAIN. IT'S SHORT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO OFFEND ANYONE. IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, THEN YOU'LL SKIP AHEAD, READ IT FIRST, THEN MOVE BACK UP TO THE TOP, BUT *MEH*.  
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**A/N - 'Ello, my lovely and very patient readers! Yes, I have finally managed to write an update. And let me tell you, the last few weeks have been obnoxiously crazy. I won't bore you all with the details, but let's just say I have moved twice in the last three months and am unhappy about it which led to some not so great writing. It's hard to get anything besides cranky and whiny characters when you're cranky and whiny. So to make it up to you, I have this update here and have already started working on the next chapter. Hopefully, and I really do mean hopefully, I can update again before the weekend and will maybe even have chapter 18 up not too shortly thereafter. No guarantees though, I don't want to put your hopes up only to dash them upon the rocks of writers block.**

**On that note, I want to thank each and every one of you who has read, reviewed, favorited, alerted or told your friends about this story. You have all made my day, every day and you've no idea how horrible I feel for having let you down for so many weeks! Please take my humblest apologies. Now, on that note, if you notice that the long absence has changed the tenor of the story, please let me know. Or if it hasn't changed, please let me know that also. I'm unsure how well this is going to go now, so I am begging for your feedback. Please keep it in mind.**

**On to the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer - All recognizable characters belong to Stephanie, all writer's block belongs me. *shrugs*

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**Alice's POV**

_Peter and Charlotte walk up to the house, speaking quietly between each other. He knocks three times on the door, holding Charlotte's hand. It is easy to see how nervous she is, coming up to a home full of so many vampires. Peter is uneasy as well, but hides it better than his mate._

_Jasper opens the door for them, both inhale to say their hellos but before the words leave their mouths, their eyes darken. Peter's eyes widen, surprised by what he smells, but Charlotte's close as she inhales a deeper breath. Jasper tries to distract them, talking, but neither pays him any mind. He yells for Emmett's help, but before he can get the words out, Peter has him up against a wall and Charlotte shoots up the stairs, intent on finding the human who dared to smell so delicious where no humans were meant to be._

_Only moments have passed since the door was opened, but already Bella's screams pierce the otherwise quiet afternoon._

_Jasper manages to break free from Peter at the same moment the screaming is abruptly cut off. He drops to the floor, knowing he was too late, unable to do anything, he cries out against the world, against God. His cries are all that are left as the vision fades to black._

"Oh, God, we have to get back to the house now!" I yelled at Rosalie and Esme.

Rose just rolled her eyes before asking, "What new form of death will Bella experience if we don't?" She had recently taken a morbid fascination in knowing the gruesome details of my visions. At least she had started running with me as she asked. One of the advantages of being a vampire was that we never got winded from running.

"Peter and Charlotte decided to come by and visit. It's soon, but Jasper and Emmett are the only ones at the house in my vision. Last I knew Edward was there too, so hopefully we have some time."

"Then what are we waiting for?" She darted ahead, putting extra effort into her speed. I could only smile. Rosalie may not like Bella, but that didn't mean she didn't care for her either. She had taken the same stand on her relationship towards Bella as she had towards Edward; the love/hate relationship only siblings could pull off.

Esme, running right behind us had already pulled out her cell phone and was warning Carlisle of the visit. I pulled out my own phone to call Jasper.

"Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up, pi- Jasper! Are Emmett and Edward still there with you?"

"_Hello to you too, Honey. Yes, Emmett is still here, no, Edward is not. He went to the store to get Bella something or other."_

"Listen, we're on our way back to the house. I saw Peter and Charlotte come for a visit and apparently they weren't very well fed,"

"_Where do we take her?"_

That is why I love my husband. He doesn't play around when it's important, and nothing to him is more important than Bella's safety. He's worked too hard on keeping her safe from himself to let someone else hurt her.

"I think her father's house is a safe bet. I'm going to call Edward and have him meet at her house and -"

"_No, I need him here to listen to their thoughts for us. Emmett can take her and keep her safe. Rosalie can come by here to pick up whatever she'll need for a few days stay over there and stay back to help Emmett."_

"I'll call him then, and Jasper, I love you."

"_I love you too, Darlin'."_

I quickly ended the call and hit my speed dial for Edward.

"_This had better be good, Alice."_

"You need to get back to the house and help Jasper. He'll explain it all once you get there."

"_Does this have to do with Bella? Is she okay?"_

"Yes, she's fine, and if you go help Jasper, she may stay that way too."

"_No need to be so pushy. I'm on my way."_

I snapped the phone shut. I knew it would irritate him to be cut off like that, but he deserved it for answering so rudely. For being such a "gentleman" all the time, he sure could be a pompous pig.

We were still a good fifteen minute run from the house and I could only hope that I had been able to do enough to change the outcome. I was afraid to search out the future while running this fast. Running into trees may not hurt me, but I hated damaging the forest any more than what we already did.

"Why do I have to go protect the child, again? Isn't that where you would rather be?"

"Because that is where your mate will be and you are as good at fighting as he is. I need to stay to support Jasper as well as give any warning of any new mischief that may come our way."

"Whatever, I'll _baby-sit_ her and keep all the bad vampires away."

"That's all that we're asking. I'm not asking you to like her, though it would make things easier," Esme said, backing me up.

"I'll think about it."

Esme and I recognized a lost cause and put no further effort into our conversation. I decided to risk a quick peek into the future when we came across a small clearing.

_Emmett carried Bella tucked up to his chest like he would a football. She crosses her arms and glares at him, showing him her displeasure at being treated so. He glances down at her, catches her look and grins at her. She frowns at him before turning away, refusing to pay him any more attention as he carries her through the woods. He laughs._

I pulled myself back to the future before I could run into the trees on the outskirts of the meadow and couldn't help but smile myself. It was really funny to see tiny, little Bella giving Emmett of all people a death glare while he was carrying her.

At least it looked like we were able to save her, though it had been close this time. What concerned me was the fact that I didn't see this coming at all. Peter usually made the decision to come by days or weeks in advance, not hours. Something was going on around us, and I didn't like it.

**Rosalie's POV**

At least Alice was smart enough to drop it. Esme knew better than to push me after I had already agreed to something, so that wasn't a surprise.

The fact that I had to baby-sit the girl rather than spend time with people outside my family was beyond irritating. Peter and Charlotte may be Jasper's friends, but at least they were different people to talk with and impress. I smiled at my last memories of Charlottes' jealousy when Peter stared at me too long. At least he recognized my beauty and perfection for what it was, unlike some members of my family.

Vain I may be, but it's hard not to be when you are constantly on the receiving end of comparisons to Helen of Troy or Athena or Persephone or whichever other Goddess you would like to compare me to.

Edward was the worst of the family. He didn't like me from the moment I woke up to this new life. We clashed and fought and argued from the word 'go' and the only reason we got along even half so well now was because I had Emmett to distract me and Jasper was around to keep any arguments down to a simmer rather than boiling over. Arguments had been less lately after _she_ had started to live with us, but that was only because Edward was too distracted by his pet human to pay the rest of us any attention.

He tried to tell me I was jealous of her. I couldn't completely argue with him, because it was true. I was and always will be jealous of her. She's _human_. Something I will never be again. She's growing older; she can still get married, have babies and watch them grow. She can watch her babies have their own and pamper and spoil her grandchildren. If she still wants to have anything to do with us by then, I may, the key word being may, be able to hold them, but I'll never be more than Aunt Rose.

I wasn't even sure if she realized just how much she had. She had never indicated a desire one way or the other for a normal human life or to be a true part of our family. She was an enigma to me, content to be somewhere in between, never experiencing life to the fullest. She had every opportunity in the world to really live. Instead she chose to pretend at life with a family of vampires. I would give anything in this world to be in her same position. To have the choice between living as a human and living as a vampire. Not that there would really be any 'choice' for me, because I already knew what I would do. I would immediately shed everything that I had known for the last eighty years and finally be able to have children and grow old again. But I didn't have that choice. Bella did.

Life was never fair.

Some would claim that being the most gorgeous creature to walk the earth, immortal, have money and enough power to get whatever I wanted and be the most deadly predator more than made up for the other little failings.

But I never wanted to live this way. All I wanted was a husband to pamper me and my babies. Those things I could never have.

Bella, on the other hand, still had that choice, but instead she chose to live with vampires. Every moment of her life was in constant danger, and she didn't care a thing for it at all. She seemed to enjoy it.

I pulled myself from my thoughts as we approached the river crossing our property and let Alice get ahead of me. I didn't want to be the first one to enter if there had been blood shed or limbs torn apart. This wasn't my fight. I was just going to do what I could to get this done and over with as quickly as possible.

"They aren't here yet. Rosalie, why don't you help me pack her things so you can meet up with Emmett?" Alice asked after we had crossed the river.

"Whatever you say, Alice." She glared at me, but didn't say anything else. At least she could take a hint.

I barely glanced at Jasper as I passed by him on the stairs. It was his fault all this was happening. They were his friends and only came to visit with him. "Grow up, Rose," he mumbled, but I chose to ignore his remark. He didn't get it either, so he could just butt out.

By the time I had gotten up to Bella's room, Alice had two large bags packed and waiting by the door. "Is this it?" I asked her.

"Yes, Edward will bring whatever else she needs tomorrow."

"Fine, let me know when our replacements will be by. I don't want to spend all night watching her sleep."

"Don't worry, someone will be by later."

I didn't take the time to say good bye to anyone. I was too annoyed to bother trying to play nice.

I drove my M3 through the streets of Forks, never hitting any traffic despite the fact that it was 7 pm on a Sunday night. This really was one of those sleepy towns with nothing to do after the sun sets. Not that you could really ever tell when the sun set because of the clouds that forever hid it from our sight, but still, it was the thought.

I pulled into the driveway and noticed there wasn't another car here. Emmett must have just picked her up and ran as soon as he heard she was in danger. The lummox took care of her as he would his own baby sister. I didn't know whether to give her credit or threaten to tear all her hair out for bringing that out in him. I settled somewhere in the middle, ignoring the entire situation and avoiding anything that could remind me of it.

"Rose, baby! You're here," Emmett called out as soon as I turned the motor off.

"Yes, come get Bella's bags." I could easily pick them up myself, but there was something sexy about him doing things like that for me. Plus, like Bella had told me months ago, it made him feel useful to do things too. Heaven forbid I should ever let him go without feeling useful. That was always when he pulled his more creative pranks.

"Hello, Rosalie," Bella glanced up from her book as I walked into the house.

"Bella."

"So, do I get to know what's going on now?"

"Some of Jasper's friends are coming to visit and Alice saw they would take a strong liking to your scent. So now you get to be here under lock and key until they leave. Lucky us."

"Does that mean I get to miss school?"

"Who cares? That's for Esme or Carlisle to decide anyway."

"Fine. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight. Please wake me up when change of shift happens or someone decides whether I'm allowed out of my prison." She pulled herself up from the couch and huffed her way up the stairs.

"Rose, that wasn't very nice. She just wanted to know what was going on," Emmett finally spoke up. He had come back downstairs from dropping her stuff in her room already.

"I can't help it if she annoys me. I told her what I knew and that's all."

**(Avoid the next few paragraphs if suggestive sexuality isn't your thing)**

"You know as soon as she's asleep that leaves us in a new house all alone, right?" Emmett wriggled his eyebrows up and down, leaving no doubt about where his mind was going. I crossed the small space between us and pulled his face down to mine.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." I then thoroughly kissed him and started to work my hand up his shirt. His muscles were so well defined and I loved running my hands along every part of him. His chest and arms especially.

Our embrace was getting far too heated for the entry way to the house and we made our way over to the couch, never once letting go of our hold on each other. I turned him around so the back his knees were the ones that hit the couch and he fell onto it. The couch groaned under the impact, but neither of us paid any mind to it. I followed him down and straddled his hips, our kiss becoming more desperate.

His tongue ran along my lips, begging for access and I instantly granted that request. Our tongues battled for dominance of this kiss, neither of us winning, but enjoying the results. I inhaled his delicious aroma and tasted him upon my tongue and his hands on my body with his beneath me. I was in heaven.

My hands forgot their exploration of his chest and latched onto his curly hair. I loved how it felt beneath my hands and how it sprung back to being curled after I pulled on it. His fingers began to run through my hair and this time, I didn't care if he messed it up. We weren't going anywhere and it was only family that would see me regardless. His other hand traced my skin at the edge of my jeans, tickling and teasing. When his hand reached the small of my back he pulled me closer to him, and I could feel him, all of him against my body. I groaned, into his mouth and I felt his lips pull up into a smile.

**(It's safe to start reading again - I know short, huh?)**

One of my hands left his hair and was trailing its way down his neck when we were interrupted by a loud crash and a cry of pain from upstairs. Emmett and I both stood up with a curse and raced up the stairs. I was more than annoyed that she could manage to interrupt us, but this was Bella we were speaking of. She could hurt herself in a padded room.

There was light coming out from under the door into the bathroom, and that was where we heard her heart and breathing coming from. We had both learned after months of living with her to stop all breathing once we heard the tell-tale crash or cry from her. There had been one sketchy incident with Jasper that she wasn't even aware of, but we all were more careful after it.

"Don't breath!" Bella's voice came from behind the door, weak and full of pain and I couldn't even come up with a smart ass retort. Just because I didn't like her didn't mean I wanted her to get hurt. "I don't' think I should move, but I'm bleeding and need help."

"Bella? We're going to open the door now, okay?" Emmett called out, his voice sounding calm and very controlled. He turned the knob and we took in the image before us.

Bella was lying on the floor, partially curled up on her side, holding her hand up to her head where blood was dripping through her fingers and onto the tile beneath her. A decent sized pool had already gathered beneath her side and more was running down her arm to join it as well.

"I tripped and this happened," she said, obviously fighting off the pain.

I grabbed a towel off the rack and fought the urge to inhale as I knelt down next to her. I slipped the towel between her hand and her head and then let her hold pressure there again. "Emmett, pick her up, but keep her head and neck supported." I hissed, trying not to use up any of my air supply. I hadn't actually gotten to hunt today, and I could feel the fire in my throat only after seeing her blood, I didn't want to think what it would feel like to breathe in the scent of it as well.

Emmett gently picked her up and walked her out to the car at human speed. No need to make her any dizzier than she already was. I followed and opened the back door for him to lay her down and then he jumped in the passenger seat. I got behind the wheel and barreled my way through town to the hospital. The less amount of time I spent with her tempting blood the better. I had already almost drained her once; I wasn't going for a repeat. I still had my perfect record and I wasn't going to let this little human mess that up.

Emmett picked her up again and carried her into the ER. The name of Cullen had enough pull to get her into a bed immediately. I stayed outside to make a few phone calls now that I could breathe again. I may not need to, but it felt weird not being able to smell anything.

"_Rose! I'm already on my way."_ Carlisle said as soon as he answered the phone.

"I take it Alice saw everything then?"

"_Yes, but she said to wait until you called before we left. Why did you wait till you were already at the hospital?"_

"I couldn't breathe while she was in the car with me. I hadn't hunted yet and it's been almost two weeks. Same with Emmett."

"_Thank you, Rose. We'll be there in a few minutes."_

I hung up the phone. I refused to get upset at her for interrupting my time with Emmett. It wasn't her fault that she was such a klutz and ruined just about everything around her. As soon as the others got here, I would pull Emmett somewhere secluded and we would continue where we left off. I was trying very hard at thinking like that, because my knee-jerk reaction was to run into her room and yell at her for doing something that she had no control over. I was trying very hard to change how I thought of her. Emmett liked her and I didn't want to upset him.

I knew that the rest of my family thought I was acting like a pretentious bitch when it came to Bella, but I was allowed to not like someone. At least I didn't treat her like a leper as I once saw her. I just couldn't bring myself to like her quite yet. She was too different and seemed to actually like the life we lived too much for my comfort.

I had only been waiting outside for a few minutes before I saw Carlisle's black Mercedes pull into the parking lot. Carlisle, Edward, and Alice all piled out of the car and rushed past me into the ER. All except Edward.

"Thank you, Rosalie."

"Just because I don't like her doesn't mean I hate her, Edward."

"I know, but sometimes it's nice to have your actions be recognized. I don't want you to think that we are taking you for granted." I couldn't help but smile at him. Edward and I had our quarrels and couldn't stand each other most of the time, but he understood me the best out of our family, probably because we were too similar for our own good.

"Thank you, Edward. Now run in and go see your human pet." He rolled his eyes before he ran to catch up with Carlisle and Alice. I waited a few more minutes before I went in and searched for my Emmett. I needed his familiar arms right now.

**Edward's POV**

I watched the vision unfold in Alice's mind with the knowledge there was nothing I would be able to do to help Bella.

_Bella rinses off her hands after washing her face and brushing her teeth. She was already dressed for bed, wearing a pair of blue light cotton pants and a matching t-shirt. Her thoughts appear to distract her as she haphazardly dries her hands before reaching for the door. _

_Her eyes widen in surprise when her slippers catch on the edge of a floor mat. Her hands reach out to find something to steady herself with, only finding purchase upon the sink. Her wrist bends as her weight falls forward. Trying to compensate, she throws her weight behind her. Her hand, still wet from her earlier hand washing slips on the porcelain and she falls back towards the bath tub. Her mouth forms an 'O' of fear now and her eyes close tight._

_She hits the runners along the edge of the tub with the side of her head, blood instantly pooling and spilling over. Her chin is forced to her chest, stretching her neck forward further than it should have. As the rest of her body hits the floor, so does her head, bouncing before she comes to rest on her side, her hand reaches up to hold pressure against the freely bleeding scalp laceration._

_She takes a deep breath and gasps out "Don't breathe!" There is shuffling heard from another source. "I don't' think I should move, but I'm bleeding and need help." She says to whoever is outside the door._

"_Bella? We're going to open the door now, okay?" Emmett's voice is heard from outside the bathroom. Bella's body tenses, waiting for Emmett and Rosalie to take a breath and end her life there. They step into the room and Rosalie helps Bella with a towel before Emmett pulls her into his arms and they leave the room._

Alice's vision fades away to black before she turns to look at me.

"She's going to be okay, Edward."

"But how do you know! You didn't see the final outcome! Anything could happen before they get to the ER, and Carlisle isn't there right now. How do we know they won't keep her waiting? She could have serious cranial hemorrhaging and no one would know. You saw how hard her head hit the tub and floor! Rosalie or Emmett could decide to take a breath and kill her instead! You don't know anything, Alice!"

I had to hand it to her, she handled my outburst far better than I would have. Jasper desperately tried to calm me down, or at least make me too lethargic to race over to the hospital right then, but he was glaring at me too.

"We have to wait until Rosalie or Emmett calls us, otherwise it'll look too suspicious," she calmly told Carlisle before he could ask whatever question he had waiting. "As for you, Edward Cullen, you will not yell at me like that again. I care for her too, and don't want to see her get hurt, but you won't be able to do anything different now than what you will in fifteen minutes. I know you love her, Edward. Don't you think we all feel the same way? But we have to play our parts so that we can go and see her," she finished softly.

I looked down at the ground, guilt washing over me for yelling at her like I had. Alice was right. Rushing in now would only raise suspicions as to how she had gotten hurt and how we knew so soon. But this was Bella we were talking about, and I knew my only place right now was by her side, making her feel better.

I started pacing, ignoring the conversation that was going on and whatever explanations Jasper was giving Peter and Charlotte for our less than hospitable behavior the last few minutes. Their thoughts were edgy and full of mistrust. I left the room, trying to find someplace where I could wait, knowing that if I went out to the Mercedes already, I would likely get kicked out for being too impatient. My feet found their way to my piano and I sat at the bench, picking out notes just to be doing something.

Esme approached me and sat down next to me on the bench, _I know you're worried, Edward. But this is Bella we're talking about. She's too stubborn to let one fall hurt her that much. You'll see_. She then hugged me tight before she went back to play hostess to Peter and Charlotte. She, Jasper and our visitors left shortly thereafter for a run down to Seattle for them to feed. I tried to ignore their thoughts regarding whom they were going to feed from.

Carlisle's phone rang and we were in the Mercedes on our way down the drive before he had finished telling Rosalie he was on the way.

It was not too much longer before I was running into the ER behind my father and was assaulted by the smell of her blood mixed with oxygen.

It was heavenly.

It was hell.

I barely took pause to fight with my inner monster and shoved him into the far corners of my mind. I began to swallow the venom almost before it had time to flow in my mouth. Bella was hurt and I was not going to let something as silly as my nature keep me from her for even a few seconds longer than necessary.

We were led to Bella's bed by an overly helpful nurse who was hoping to get on Carlisle's good side. I rolled my eyes at her thoughts, wondering if she knew about Esme. Probably, but that wouldn't keep her from thinking of him as she did. For some, it took much more than a wedding band to keep them away.

When the door opened, I took careful inventory of Bella. She was unconscious, her breathing shallow, but regular. There was a piece of gauze covering the spot on her temple that been cut open. The center of the gauze was still bright red from the blood it was soaking up. Next, I looked at her face. The right side was moderately swollen from where she had hit both the floor and the tub. It was going to be sore and difficult for her to smile over the next few days. I was so sad that she had to suffer yet another accident that we could not prevent. This may have been the second worst since she had been in our home, but it and her broken leg should have been avoidable.

After making sure there were no other places that were obviously injured, I carefully made my way to sit at her bedside. Carlisle was speaking with the doctor taking care of her, and Alice had moved to her uninjured left side. We both watched her slow, regularly breathing, neither of us saying anything. _Take a breath, Edward. We need to know if you can stay here._ I nodded my head and obliged her request. I took a shallow breath in through my mouth. The fragrance that was uniquely Bella assaulted my senses. I had to fight with the monster all over again. It wasn't so hard to fight the monster when I looked and saw how Bella needed me. I took another breath and then another, each time getting myself re-acquainted with her. After several more breaths, I knew I would be able to trust myself not to harm her, even with the more or less open wound on her head. I nodded at Alice again and she sighed in relief.

_She looks so innocent, doesn't she?_ Alice thought towards me. I only nodded, not wanting to wake her up with unnecessary noise. _When are you going to talk to her?_ I frowned at Alice. What was it that I needed to talk to Bella about? _Let me rephrase that. When are you going to tell Bella you love her?_ I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure that I really wanted to tell Bella how I felt about her. I was afraid I would chase her away from me, and the thought of living without Bella made me feel miserable. I never wanted to have to try that. She was too precious to me for me to want to give her up.

The only answer I could give Alice was to shrug. To cover up my confusion, I gently picked up Bella's hand and held it in my own. I laid a kiss upon her knuckles and pressed my cheek up to it. I just wanted to be close to her, and could think of no other way to express my desire to protect her from everything, including her.

Doctors and nurses bustled in and out, one giving her an IV and drawing her blood. Another placing a neck brace on her until they could verify she hadn't injured her neck. She was taken away to get a CT scan not long thereafter, forcing me to not only release my hold on my Bella, but to watch her leave me. I couldn't stand it.

Alice stayed with us through all of it as well. She cared about Bella as much as I did and wanted no harm to come to her either. We both knew that if there was a chance for a nurse or a doctor to make a mistake regarding a medication or treatment Bella was the patient it would happen too tonight.

She started to wake up several times, but the doctors didn't want her to try to move until they figured out whether or not her neck was injured and how much swelling she was experiencing in her brain. Alice and I watched carefully as a nurse gave Bella a small dose of lorazepam through the IV. It seemed to calm her immediately and we watched her fall into a drug induced sleep three times that evening.

It was around two in the morning when they finally declared her neck and spinal column were uninjured. The muscles in her neck, shoulders and chest were going to be sore, but nothing that a massage therapist couldn't help her with.

There was some concern about a concussion. Normally they would have liked to keep her awake for testing throughout the night, but Bella was known for thrashing around too much to not have her in a drug induced sleep. The neurological tests could still be performed on an unconscious patient, as Carlisle kindly reminded the ER doctors. They decided to keep her in a drug induced sleep night and admitted her to the step down ward that they had. It was the highest level of care that they provided to the good people of Forks, driving anyone else that needed a true ICU or surgery that couldn't be performed here to Port Angeles.

Alice and I kept our silent vigil over Bella after Carlisle had convinced the staff of the step down that Bella would feel better knowing we were there when she woke up. She had already been left behind by her family once, we weren't going to do that to her again.

The curtains were drawn closed as daylight approached. Patients with head injuries tend not to appreciate light all that much. We appreciated the closed curtains as it would have been difficult to explain the rainbows reflecting off our skin onto the walls. Today was going to be one of Forks rare, partly sunny days. If it wasn't Bella, we would never have thought of staying here.

_She's going to be fine, Edward,_ Alice thought towards me, finally breaking me from my reverie. I had been holding Bella's hand up to forehead and mouth, just touching her and keeping her close.

"I've seen it too, Alice. I can't help that I feel we should have prevented this," I whispered to her, my lips barely moving.

_If that's the case, then what are you concentrating so hard on? You're thinking, but you haven't made any sort of decision, and it's driving me crazier than just sitting here waiting for Bella to wake up, which by the way, will happen in 3 hours and 17 minutes._

I cracked a smile at that. Regardless of what was happening, Alice would always be Alice and she would always be able to make any of us smile.

"I'm thinking about Bella and wondering what my options are and thank you for letting me know the time. I hadn't paid much attention to your visions besides seeing that she would wake up."

_And what are your options?_ she asked, her head cocked to the side and a small smile dancing upon her lips.

I sighed, knowing this was coming from the moment I said anything to her about it. "I'm wondering if it would be possible for me to ask Bella to let me stay by her side until she tires of me," I mumbled. Alice got a knowing gleam in her eyes and I saw flashes of other visions she's had in her mind. They were too quick for me to decipher them or put them in any order, but Bella and I were the focus and I wanted to think we were happy in them as well.

"That is wonderful, Edward! I've been waiting for you or her to finally do something for weeks now!" she squealed as quietly as I've ever thought someone could squeal. "And this is just in time for Prom and she won't have any excuse not to go now that she has such a handsome date and I've already bought her dress and shoes and everything else and now that you've said that everything just fell into place and this is just so wonderful!" She was speaking so fast that even my vampire hearing could hardly keep up with her. I knew she had wanted something to happen between us, but not by this much!

"Alice, Alice, calm down! You're going to wake her up if you're not careful!" She tried to calm down, which only looked like she was vibrating rather than bouncing everywhere. It would have been a comical sight had I not been afraid she was going to manage to wake Bella up early. "Why don't you go call everyone and let them know she'll be okay and when she'll wake up? I know Emmett and Esme are going to want to see her and Carlisle will want to check on her."

"Great idea, Edward. Do I get to tell them you decided,"

"No! If anyone tells them, then it will be Bella or I! Now shoo you mischievous pixie."

She stuck her tongue out at me before she spun out of the room, phone in her hand and up to her ear already. I didn't pay attention to her conversation as she exited the floor, paying full attention to my Bella now. It was wonderful to think of her like that. She could be _my Bella_. I just had to find the perfect way to ask her to let me be with her, be anything for her that she wanted. I wasn't sure what to expect, and neither would she, but we would make this work. If she wanted it to.

The next three hours passed with ease. It was just me and Bella. And the occasional nurse checking Bella's brain function, but I didn't really count them. I changed from holding her hand to stroking her arm or her cheek, afraid I was making her hand too cold. There were times I cursed my vampire nature a bit more vehemently than usual, and right now was one of those times.

I enjoyed watching the little signs that said she was waking up. A deeper breath here, a sigh there. Her eyes began to move behind her eye lids more. She started to turn her face towards me, but grimaced at the pain it caused. I smoothed back her hair and leaned up to kiss her on the forehead again, and watched the grimace fade away and a small smile replace it. I continued to stroke her hair and laid my head next to hers on the pillow, just enjoying this time with her.

Exactly when Alice said she would wake up, Bella's eyes began to flutter and she turned her head as though looking for something. She winced and went to pull her hand with the IV up to her neck, but stopped when she felt the gentle tug of the tubing on her arm. She turned to me then, her eyes wide and frightened. "Edward? What happened?"

"Shh, Bella, you're okay. What's the last thing you remember?" She closed her eyes again before she began to answer. She took long enough I was sure she was asleep before she opened them again.

"I was getting ready for bed and was brushing my teeth and washing my face. I think I tripped on something because I remember falling, but I don't remember anything after that."

"You did fall and hit your head on the bath tub pretty hard, Bella. You were bleeding," I gently brushed the spot on her head covered with gauze, "but Emmett and Rosalie brought you to the hospital here and the doctors have been keeping you asleep for a while."

"How long is 'a while' and how am I still here? If they had smelled that much blood…"

"You've been here for a little over twelve hours and asleep for all of it. As for how you're still here, you told Emmett and Rosalie not to breathe since there was blood. They understood what was going on and brought you here immediately. You passed out on the drive over here."

"Oh." Such a small word to cover so much information. I knew she was taking her time to process everything, but I was too relieved to see her awake to let her be silent for long.

"Are you in pain? Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Each was met with a little shake of her head though I knew she was probably all of the three. She would never admit that she needed help; she had dealt with too much of that in the first few months of her being here to want anyone to help her now. "Is there anything I can get you, Bella? I'm feeling sort of useless right now." I teased her gently. I knew I could convince her to let me do something if she felt bad enough about not letting me do anything for her.

"I guess I am sort of thirsty."

I rewarded her with a big smile and reached behind me to the cup of water I already had prepared for her. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes at me, but drank all the water in the cup. "Thank you, Edward."

"It's no problem, Bella. It sounds like Alice has brought some well wishers with her and there are only two visitors allowed at a time."

"Don't go, Edward!" her whisper was full of panic and she grabbed my hand and held on as tight as she humanly could.

"I won't be far, Bella. Just down the hall. And you'll be with family. I promise nothing will hurt you, okay?" I carefully, very carefully, squeezed her hand to let her know everything was okay. To give her a little extra reassurance I leaned over and kissed her cheek as well. I felt her heart skip a beat before it began to race and her cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink. I wanted to tell her something more, declare my absolute love and adoration for her, but I knew that had to wait. That was a talk for after she left the hospital.

Alice swooped in and grabbed Bella's other hand while Emmett plowed in and took over my spot. I gave her a smile and pointed to the family waiting room for her. She nodded before turning her attention to her brother and sister.

_Edward and Bella sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!_ I ignored any further comments from Emmett but made a mental note to _discuss_ my opinions of him butting into my as yet none-existent love life.

Alice's parting thoughts to me were, _Keep it simple, she's already given you her heart._ I smiled at the thought. I had given Bella my heart long ago, dead and cold as it was. And I knew exactly what simple would be.

I would take Bella to our meadow again, but this time, we would spend the whole day with just us. From the moment she woke, to the moment she fell asleep. And somewhere in there, I would confess my love for her and then I would hope she returned even the smallest portion of my feelings. We would make this work somehow.

* * *

**A/N - Again, thank you all for sticking this out with me. I think I'm back for good and plan on continuing to write. However, should this ever happen again and you are needing some new stories to read between updates - I'd suggest taking a peek at my favorites list here. Just a warning, my favorite types are the ones where HEA's are never guaranteed, but hoped for.**

**Highlights here on fanficDOTnet are: Horizons, Through Your Eyes, Bella Hale, Miss My Lion, Atlas Shrugged, One More Shot, and many others, all on my favorites page.**

**If you go over to twilightedDOTnet**, **The Vampire in the Basement, A Darker Shade of Twilight, For Eternity, Past and Present, Eight Years Later, and of course several others. **

**If you head over to LiveJournal, search for AngstGoddess003 and read her amazing fic, Wide Awake and check out her new one, Of Gemini & Gypsies. There are also some pretty cool communities where people rec new fics there. It's been an interesting way to find new and obscure stuff.**

**Whew! I think that covers you guys (I hate saying ladies, sorry) for a while. :-) Thank you again for taking the time to read this and I ask you to click on the little green button below to let me know what you think. Next chapter should be up in only a few short days *crosses fingers***

**faeriegal/Amber  
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	17. Chapter 17 The Meadow

**A/N - Sooo, this took a wee bit longer to finish than I had thought. I really had about half of what I had planned to write written out and all sorts of pretty. Then Bella decides to do her own thing at the end and I had to nix two thirds of the pre-written stuff. That's okay though, this is going to be truer to the story methinks. Anywho, as always RL is kicking my butt - I'm doing my newest orientation (I HATE orientations by the by) in day time shifts which means the creative juices ain't flowing as well as they oughta be. I don't do days. And since I'm sleeping when I normally write (or at least I should be sleeping) that means you guys suffer. Sorry.**

**As always, I must thank each and every one of you that takes the time to read this, favorite/alert and most especially review. They make my day (and sometimes are the only things that make my day) and I love you when you let me know what you think. I love you all in general, but I actually know who it is that I'm sending out love karma to when you drop a review.**

**Oh well, enough of me, let's let Edward talk.**

**Disclaimer - Not mine in any way shape or form, all SM's, I'm playing, yadda yadda yadda.

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**Edward's POV**

Bella must have been exhausted from her hospital visit. It was a short ride from the hospital to her father's house but it was long enough for her to have fallen into a deep sleep. Seeing her drop into such a relaxed state while trapped in a car with me, "the epitome of dangerous and lethal and grossly powerful all bundled up into human form," as Bella had so eloquently put it, made me feel almost human again. Being with her was the closest I could ever come to that again. I wanted to thank her for it endlessly, but the one time I had tried to do just that, she told me to stop being so dramatic and just deal with the fact that I tried to be human so hard that I played the part better than most actual humans. I could never understand how she saw me like that, but I wasn't going to argue with her about it.

I pulled into the drive and took a short moment to scan the minds of the neighbors, hoping no one was paying much attention to us. It was raining and I didn't want to risk Bella getting wet and waking up when I carried her inside.

_I hope she's making steak tonight. I'm so tired of her most recent diet fad._

_Captain Kelsey was strapped into her chair and listened to the countdown. It was her first time going to space and her nerves were starting to get to her._

_There's been a lot of activity at the Swan house, lately. I wonder what the Chief's daughter is planning on doing with it._

I frowned, the last thought made it impossible for me to race Bella in as fast as I wanted to. If I covered her with my jacket, it should be enough to get her in without her getting too wet. My plan decided I didn't waste any time getting Bella in the house and up to her room.

Her breathing hadn't changed and her heart rate was still slow and steady telling me that she hadn't been roused by the movement up here. I pulled her tennis shoes off, laying them on the floor at the end of the bed. I wanted to get her into a different pair of pajamas too since she had been wearing the same pair for the last twenty four hours. I had never seen her wear the same outfit for that long before and had the feeling she would wake up and feel "gross." It would be even worse once she remembered I was the one watching her tonight. She rarely cared about how she presented herself to the world unless I was involved. She didn't understand that I didn't care about how she looked or 'smelled.' It was her as a whole I had come to feel for, not that I didn't appreciate the extra effort she sometimes put forth for my sake.

I got as far as pulling out another pair and laying it on the bed before I really started to think about what I would need to do to help her out of her current attire and into the new. My options were limited; I could undress her myself, which was something I would not do. I could wake her up but she needed her sleep and I didn't want to wake her up for something so trivial. Or I could call Alice. It was the only thing that made any sense, but I was disappointed I would have to share this time with Bella. I had planned for the next day to be just between Bella and me.

_Edward,_ _I know you can hear me by now so don't do anything stupid like calling Alice. I barely managed to convince her to let me come in her stead,_ Rosalie's thoughts interrupted my own.

I was surprised she warned me as she did. Of all the family, she was the least comfortable with me invading her thoughts. She truly only took advantage of my gift when she wanted to rant at me without the rest of the family knowing what she was saying. If Esme knew even half of the words she threw my way, Rosalie would have been 'grounded' for months.

Not only did she warn me she was coming, but she volunteered to assist me and Bella. This seemed more like Alice's place, but I wasn't going to question my fortune. Alice had obviously seen me calling her with my request and managed to rescue me before I had to actually ask. I had always been uncomfortable asking my family for help. It left me feeling as though I was incapable of taking care of my own problems. In this case, it still left me in debt to both her and Rosalie, but I felt the debt was less since I hadn't technically asked.

I heard the front door open and Rosalie's light footsteps upon the stairs and hallway before she quietly entered the room. She had another bag with more of Bella's clothing for the next week or so. I mouthed "thank you" to her before reluctantly leaving Bella's side. Rosalie's thoughts indicated she wanted to speak with me before she left, so I went downstairs to wait for her.

Less than five minutes later, Rosalie stepped into the living room. Her thoughts weren't petty or disgruntled towards Bella, which was another surprise. She tended to make sure everyone knew she didn't like "waiting on the human."

"You can close your mouth now, Edward. I've been known to be nice on occasion," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, you have been, but never toward Bella."

"The girl's grown on me." She shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance.

"What brought this on so suddenly? And how did you convince Alice to let you come in her stead? Alice never lets anyone talk her out of something once she's made up her mind."

"I'm not a totally heartless bitch, Edward," _she wouldn't have gotten ready for bed when she did if I hadn't made her so uncomfortable last night, and maybe none of this would have happened._ "After watching you moon over her last night, I finally resigned myself to the fact that she's not going anywhere. You know Tanya may very well kill the girl, right?"

"How did Tanya get pulled into this conversation? You know I've never seen her as more than a friend, no matter what her preferences have been. Why would she want to hurt Bella? She's done nothing towards Tanya."

"Except for ensnaring the one man's heart Tanya had never been able to capture. She's just as jealous and vain as I am about things of that nature."

"It doesn't matter. Bella won't be going anywhere near the Denali women if I can help it." The thought of her, innocent as she was, anywhere near the inspirations for the succubus legends made my skin crawl.

"Afraid they'd actually make her realize she's a woman? You'd never stand a chance against her if that were the case."

"What do you mean, 'I'd never stand a chance against her if that were the case?'"

"Have you been hiding under a rock or something? Bella has been undressing you with her eyes for months now. Just imagine what she'd do if she got a few lessons from Tanya or Irina or hell, even Kate." Rosalie was inspecting her nails when she dropped this bomb on me.

If Rosalie, the definition of self absorbed, saw something in the way Bella looked at me then maybe there was a chance what she and the others have told me is true. Perhaps Bella really did have strong feelings for me. Possibly even love. I doubted it was anywhere near the depth to which I loved her, but it gave me something to reflect on tonight. Not with Rosalie in the house though. I needed to pull this conversation in another direction.

"You still didn't answer my earlier question. Why you and not Alice?"

"Alice hasn't been able to shut up about whatever the trip is you've got planned for Bella. She's been a terror. She was ready to come and tell you exactly what you were going to do and whether something else will work better. I decided to come over and help Bella and give you my own advice instead," _I also needed to thank you for stopping to talk to me last night. You didn't have to, but you did._

I nodded to her, acknowledging her thoughts. It was hard for her to say thank you, and verbally acknowledging it would only irritate her.

"I suppose I should thank you for keeping Alice under some form of control. You haven't given me your advice yet."

"I'm getting to that. It's simple. Grow some courage and confess to her that you've been hiding behind some silly form of guilt for months. Just know, if you mess it up, Esme'll kill you."

"Thanks, Rose. Next time you decide to give someone advice, just skip it."

"You know exactly how to charm a lady." She turned on her heels, aware that commenting further would void her showing of gratitude. She was nearly out of my range before she gave me her last bit of news, _Alice and I are going hunting tonight, so don't count on her to warn you of any sort of Bella induced impending doom. Alice also has this grand plan of taking everyone shopping in Seattle tomorrow too._

Alice was doing her meddling again. In this case I couldn't fault her. We had to protect Bella, but she also had an additional goal of pushing Bella and me together. What better way than to make sure no one would interrupt us or that she was going to be at risk for any harm. I made a mental note to thank her or curse her depending on how the day went.

I debated between sitting with Bella as she slept or staying downstairs and pretending not to be listening to every breath, every heartbeat, every movement, I could hear from the room above me. The only difference between the two choices was in one I would be able to see Bella and perhaps the ache I felt when we were separated would be soothed; in the other it would continue to grow.

Even now I could feel the beginnings of the pain in my chest, a dull throb that told me it had been too long since I had last seen the woman who now held my heart. She had held it for months and I hadn't told her of the power she had over me. I could excuse the first two. I was unaware of having ever given it to her. After I had finally broke down and listened to my family, I had no excuse not to tell her.

I should have been proclaiming it to the stars and moon and sun from the highest mountain peaks all around the world. Instead, I hid behind a façade of friendship and indifference. The glory I had always imagined love to be, it was not for me. I didn't deserve it. Love was something for the men and women with courage enough to step out on the proverbial limb, braving the wind and rain and snow of society trying to put out the pure fire in their hearts.

Rosalie was right. I was nothing more than a coward. A coward of the worse sort. I knew the keeper of my heart had given hers to me as well. But did she give it to me not just to keep safe, but to hold and cherish for myself? Or was I only its keeper until she found another better suited to love and cherish it for her forever?

These thoughts were leading me nowhere and the pain was growing.

It was the pain that decided me. I made my way up the stairs slowly, daring my heart or mind to tell me I was wrong in this decision. There was no resistance. With each step towards my Bella I felt the ache lessen. My mind grew quieter, the storm of my thoughts was soothed by the sounds of my love in her slumber.

If I hadn't believed I loved her before, I would have to believe it now. Nothing else explained the hold she had on me. Nor why I hadn't fought against it as I had every other woman or girl who claimed to have undying love for me.

Despite my reservations about invading her space, I carefully pushed the door to her room open and slid in to prevent the least amount of light entering as possible. There was no way I was going to wake her up with something as silly as me opening a door. If I was going to be honest to myself, I needn't have worried. She was far too exhausted to let something as petty as a little bit of light wake her up. But it made me feel better, like I was doing something to take care of her.

For several minutes I stood next to her door just watching her. Again, the desire to hear her thoughts passed through my mind. I wanted to see her dreams as she dreamt them, no filtering or forgetting, just Bella. It saddened me that she probably wouldn't spend enough time in REM sleep for me to get a peek into those dreams through her mumbling and rambling words.

I cherished each and every one of those words as they fell from her lips and I would continue to do so until I was no longer a part of her life. When that happened, I would cherish each memory and carry them as shining beacons in my cold heart. Perhaps their light would warm my heart up much as Bella herself had managed to warm it near to melting. If it were to suddenly start beating in my chest again, it was only because it was trying to be enough for the woman who mattered the most.

I moved to the rocking chair in the corner of her room with the desire to be a part of something tangible that was Bella's. I imagined this was where her mother would rock her to sleep and soothe her as a baby. It was probably where her father would sit and think about his baby girl when he missed her. Not that he would have ever said anything to her about those moments of what ifs to his daughter or ex-wife.

To her, it was probably something she saw as just another piece of her broken past. Another reminder of the life she could no longer call hers. Instead she was stuck half way between my world of myth and fantasy and her world, the world of life and living. I wondered if she ever regretted her decision to leave Arizona behind and move back up to Washington and conversely into our world.

She had only been here for five months, and she had already changed me and my family more than I had ever thought possible. There were more changes to come as the next few years rolled by as well. She was human, dynamic. Everything in her life was a first for her. She was not jaded to the world and living. Even with everything she had suffered through, she had learned to live. And we all loved her for it.

I tried not to think about what would happen in the years after she graduated high school. Thinking about what would happen after she went off to college often made me feel uneasy. My stomach started to roll and there was a feeling of emptiness in my chest I could not explain. It was different from the pain I had when I was separated from her. At least then there was something to feel pain. When I thought of her future, the emptiness was exactly that-empty, nothing-and it hurt so much more for that.

Questions about the future didn't just have my stomach rolling and leave me feeling empty they have paralyzed me with fear. Will she keep in contact? Will she still want to see me? Many others, half thought but never finished followed, flitting through my mind like butterflies. Delicate and easily crushed and forgotten. They represented my strength of will to give voice to my questions. One fear preventing me from working up the courage to ask; what if the answers were 'no?'

Other questions needed answering as well. What would I do if she did decide to stay with our family? It would not be too long before she would be acting as our Aunt, her humanity only making our differences that much more evident. She would also be putting her life in constant danger, whether from other visiting vampires as we occasionally hosted or from the Volturi. Carlisle and Jasper were already concerned that the Volturi may hear a rumor about her knowledge soon. It was one of the indistinct threats that Alice occasionally saw in her visions. The risks were even greater now that we had already seen two such visitors.

Alice's visions were another mystery we were struggling to solve. Why was it that Alice could see Bella's future even before key decisions had been made? After several debates, Jasper, Carlisle, Alice and I had determined that maybe there really was a 'bigger plan' and if something was fated to be, then Alice could see it. I wasn't completely convinced, but I could find no other answer myself. Until another more plausible answer presented itself, I would go with their "higher power" theory. The new question the theory raised was why Fate had taken such an interest in Bella.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about her that would key Fate in to her existence as an individual. She was a normal human, maybe a little more observant and intelligent than others, but she wasn't exceptional in either category. There was the fact that she blocked my gift, and most likely other vampire's gifts, but it also wasn't unheard of for a vampire to have displayed certain gifts while they were human.

Alice was one of those cases as far as we could tell. She said when she woke up she had not been surprised or scared by her visions, just confused about the content. She must have already had some familiarity prior to her change in order to remember. Carlisle said that Jane and Alec of the Volturi guard were hand chosen by Aro because they showed so much potential. He also pointed out that I had been exceptionally observant and anticipated other's needs when I volunteered at the hospital in the short time he had known me as a human. Bella's was just manifesting stronger than most others, but it was still not exceptional enough to warrant special attention from the powers that be.

Everything pointed to Bella not being an individual worth Fate's careful scrutiny. Until we figured something more, we would continue to do what we could to protect her.

That didn't mean she wasn't worth my careful observation. Not at all. Every time we were in a room together it took all my strength of will to not stare at her. If we weren't in the same room, it took almost everything I had not to watch her from the minds of those around her. It was impossible to ignore her in my thoughts. Thought ob Bella were always racing through my mind, regardless of what else I was supposed to be thinking of. Thank God for my vampire mind and it's ability to compartmentalize thoughts. Not that my thoughts of her were all that complicated. They revolved around a few key points.

How she felt like she belonged in my arms every time I picked her up or caught her from another tumble.

Her silky, smooth, pale skin.

Her luscious and irresistible hair.

And her sinfully full, red lips which seemed to beg to be kissed.

Her exotic and confusing mind I so desperately desired to understand.

Her innocence and naivety.

Everything about her drew me further in, like a moth to the fire. If my life, my existence, were to end by her hands, I would die a happy man. She was my everything.

But could I be enough for her? Was there a chance she loved me? Did I deserve that love if she did? Would I be able to accept it without the guilt that would accompany my tarnishing of something as pure as her love with my past?

I was a soulless killer. A creature whose only purpose on this earth is to destroy that which is most precious: life. By all rights I should be burning in Hell for my decisions and actions of the past. No matter that I worked every day to atone for my sins. No priest would ever absolve me of them. How I wished I could wipe those lives from my past so I could be enough for Bella.

Perhaps that was the point. God sent this angel to me, her purpose to show me what I was missing. What I could never experience. I was to burn in Hell of my own making for allowing myself to fall in love with Isabella Swan. If that were true though, why would he punish her by allowing her to fall in love with me also. I could imagine no sin vile enough to bring one such as Bella to love a man as damned as myself. That didn't keep me from wanting to be deserving of her love.

At first I created elaborate fantasies in which Bella was my angel and I was still human. The type of man she deserved to be with.

One that could hold her close without having to constantly fight a battle for her blood, her life.

A man that was warm and would not risk crushing her in the act of holding her close.

A man with whom she could have a family and grow old with.

In short, anyone besides me. Even that vile Michael Newton would be better for her. Despite his thoughts and obviously unwanted advances he was still better for her because he was human. He could give her so many things, whereas I could only take from her. Even knowing that, I could not change how I felt.

Last night, after seeing her in the light coma she had fallen into, I stopped lying to myself. I was no longer the man Bella truly deserved, but perhaps I could be enough. I would always regret only being enough, but if she was happy, then I would shove that regret aside.

Something drew me from my thoughts and it took me a moment to discover what it was. There was a hitch in Bella's breathing and her heart had begun to beat faster than it was earlier. A glance at the clock, four twenty seven, told me it was too early for her to wake up. Her face scrunched up and she gave a minute shake of her head before her mouth turned down into a frown.

I shot across the room and was kneeling at her bedside before I had made the conscious decision to move. Having done this many times in recent past, I already knew what to do to soothe her back into a quiet slumber. A loving kiss on her forehead and her lullaby hummed in her ear was usually all she needed. If the dream or disturbance was particularly troubling, I would gently cup her cheek and jaw with one cold hand while the other rubbed soothing circles on one of hers. I was able to see a notable change in her tension. Bella was probably the only human I had ever encountered who was soothed by a vampire's touch.

I stayed there, kneeling at her bedside for the next four hours. My thoughts drifted this way and that, but I had stopped paying attention to them. I spent those hours just being. With Bella, it was too easy.

A little after eight, her heart rate and breathing changed again, but I recognized this as her naturally waking up. Being unsure whether she would welcome the idea that I stayed with her throughout the night, I pulled away from her warmth.

I fled to the kitchen before I had more time to think about leaving her to wake up alone in a new room. I decided I would try to make her pancakes with strawberries and chocolate ice cream. It had somehow become the breakfast we made when we wanted her to feel better. Or if we wanted to bribe her into doing something she normally wouldn't do, usually shopping with Alice which I inevitably became involved in as well.

I wasn't surprised to find all the ingredients, to include the ice cream already in the cabinets and freezer. I had the feeling Alice had swung by the grocery store and here sometime after she left the hospital yesterday. She wouldn't have needed to wait for a vision to know I would want to spoil Bella after she woke up. The list of things I had to hank her for was growing quite long.

I finally heard Bella roll over in her bed and grumble about waking up too early just as I had gotten the batter mixed. It could wait, Bella shouldn't.

"Morning, sunshine."

"Sunshine? More like Grumpy," she lived up to the name as she grumbled at me. I laughed as she tried to get up and out of bed, but Bella being Bella, she only managed to half-fall out of bed. Half-fall because I caught her before she could hit the ground, as per usual.

"And who said I was saying morning to you, Grumpy? Perhaps I was pointing out the fact that the sun has graced us with his presence today?" I teased her. I hadn't put her back down yet. She felt too perfect in my arms and I didn't want to relinquish her to the day yet. I inhaled her heavenly aroma and gave her my "dazzling smile" as she had labeled it. I watched her eyes glaze over and her breathing and heart rate increased, making her skin more radiant as more blood rushed to add its color to her pale skin. I reveled in the physical manifestations that I affected her. I was only saddened she could not see that she did the same to me.

As often as she teased me for dazzling her, it was nothing on the hold she had on me. She "dazzled" me with every beat of her heart, every blink of her eyes, every expression of her face, every thought that passed through her head which I regrettably would never hear.

I was hopelessly lost in my love for my Bella.

It took her a moment to process what I had said about the sun before she scrambled out of my arms and over to her window. The sun was indeed streaming into the room. I made sure to stay out of its path just in case a neighbor decided to look up to her bedroom window.

"Oh! Does this mean we can go to the meadow?" she asked when she looked back at me, excitement evident in her eyes and all sleepiness wiped away.

"There was maybe something that resembled a picnic and a meadow in my plans for the day. I just hadn't found someone who would actually eat the food for the picnic. Do you have any ideas?" I tried to keep my voice steady and questioning.

"Edward Cullen, if you even think of taking another person to the meadow I will tell Emmett and Jasper to kick your butt from here to Canada."

"Is that a threat Miss Swan?"

"Only if yours is." I laughed

"In light of your threat I would suggest a shower, breakfast, and a visit to this mysterious meadow you speak of."

"I'm holding you to that!" She laughed and gathered her toiletries up and skipped to the bathroom. Skipped! Was she trying to kill herself?

As soon as the door had shut and I heard the water running, I tried to turn my mind to any thoughts besides the water sliding over Bella's naked curves and walked back to the kitchen. Making the perfect pancakes was a good distraction. They smelled very unappealing to me, but Bella liked them which meant I would suffer through it to make her happy.

"Mmm, pancakes! And ice cream? What's the bribe for?"

"No bribe. I figured after the night and day you had you deserve some special treatment."

"You're too sweet to me, Edward."

"No such thing, Bella." I handed her the plate I had made up for her. Her hands grazed across mine, maintaining contact for longer than was natural before I relinquished the plate to her care.

While she ate her breakfast, I remembered to pack a small lunch and blanket for her while we were out. I wanted her to fully enjoy herself which meant not having to rush home because her stomach was grumbling at us.

Half an hour and several scoops of ice cream later we stepped out her back door. She easily climbed on my back and settled herself into a comfortable position. It never failed to surprise me how accustomed she was to her vampire family. She had long since stopped batting an eye to the idea of racing at speeds most cars couldn't match. As a matter of fact, she had begun to complain just as much as my brothers and sisters when we had to walk at human pace where people might see. She was an amazing little human.

We started out at a nice easy pace since I was unsure how her head would handle the swiftly moving scenery.

"Esme runs faster than this! I may have to convince Alice you need a wardrobe to match my grandma Swan's," Bella threatened once she realized what I was doing.

I laughed and increased my speed. She was apparently in a playful mood today as she soon joined me, our combined levity ringing through the forest. It was so easy to laugh with her. It was so easy to just be myself with her.

We made it to the meadow in no time and I helped her crawl down. She was always a little light headed after a run and I wasn't about to have her twist her ankle or break an arm because she lost her balance. One ER visit this week was more then enough.

"It's just as gorgeous now as it was the first time you showed me."

"It's more beautiful with you here." I mentally slapped my forehead at the over used, cheesy line. I was supposed to show her how much I loved her, not give her half rate pick up lines. She was quick enough to pick up on my moods, which in this case meant I was greatly desiring a fishing line to reel those words back in.

"It's okay, Edward." She turned and started walking into the middle of the circular meadow, but surprised me when she continued walking.

"Where are you going, Bella?" I asked as I quickly caught up to her.

"For all the times you've brought me here, we've never once went to the stream, and I'm curious. There wasn't exactly a lot of running water in Phoenix you know."

"You're right, how rude of me," I laughed.

"Darn right! Now, keep me from falling, please."

She held out her hand for me to hold and I took it without a moment's hesitation. It seemed like she wanted to hold my hand as much as I wanted to hold hers. Any physical contact with Bella was welcome.

We explored the area around the meadow for the rest of the morning. Bella was delighted when we found a deer trail going along the river. She followed it, dragging me with her as she searched for something, but she wouldn't tell me what. I finally figured it out after she stared at a collection of river smoothed stones all of different colors for several minutes. She carefully picked up all the green ones and compared them, weighing them in her mind, deciding if they were what she wanted or not. My curiosity was growing and I wasn't sure how much longer I would be able to just sit and wait for her to tell me what in the world was going on.

"What color were your eyes when you were human?" she asked, finally breaking the silence before it grew too uncomfortable. Not that her question didn't throw me off.

"They were green. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"But what _shade_ of green, silly? Was it closer to this color?" she asked, holding up one of the three rocks she was carrying. It was a dark green color with lines of a lighter, almost turquoise green running through it. I shook my head no, finally getting what she was doing with her rock searching endeavor.

"The one in the middle is the closest, but," I scanned the ground in front of us searching for a rock that could almost match the color I saw in Carlisle's mind when he thought of me as a human. I saw something, a small stone that while opaque, still managed to make me feel like I was staring into a sea cave. My eyes had been a light 'fathomless' green reminiscent of deep sea ice caves. "this one is the closest out of all of them." Her eyes widened when she realized what I had done before I was treated to one of her bright smiles.

"Thank you, Edward. I know you're dying to know why, but can we sit down for lunch first?"

"Your wish, my command." I was rewarded with another smile and laugh as I led her to the tree I had left our basket beneath.

I spread the blanket on the ground for her and had to shake my head as she gracefully folded her legs beneath her, her attention still focused on the rock. Her movements spoke of an inner confidence the like of which I never saw in her when she was aware of her surroundings and her place in them. It troubled me at times, knowing she managed to inhibit herself as strongly as she did. I added to my mental list to not only thank Alice, but to speak with Carlisle about Bella's behavior. I had a concern that it had to do with her ability to block me from her mind. The mind and body were closely connected and if Bella was somehow managing to subconsciously block her own ability to control her body, it was cause for concern. But not a concern for this day.

I joined her on the blanket and pulled out the sandwich and fruit I had made for her lunch. The sandwich was what we called the "Bella works" since it had all the normal club sandwich fixings, ham and turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and onions. The Bella additions were potato chips and ketchup. The entire family had questioned her extensively about the nature of her creation. We may not be human or have any desire to eat human food, but we still had an idea of what was considered normal and what was considered weird. Her only explanation had been something about wasting plate space on potato chips which still made no sense. She never filled the space with anything else. It was another of the mysteries I would probably never fully understand.

"Edward?" her voice brought me back from my internal musings. "Why are you being so nice to me today? Breakfast, the meadow, my sandwich, whatever else you have planned for this evening, it's all too much. I'm starting to think you're going to drop some bad news on me or something." She was staring down at her lap where she was holding her sandwich, still wrapped in its plastic covering.

"Have I really been so neglectful to you that you see me doing things for you as trying to soften a blow? Is it not enough for me to want to see you smiling, laughing, in short, happy?" My fingers twitched at my sides with my desire to hold her and comfort her as she was quite obviously concerned about something.

"I didn't mean it like that," she cried out, her eyes snapping up to mine, pleading for me to understand. "Never think that you haven't treated me far better than I deserve. I do nothing but get in the way and make things more difficult for you. I still don't understand why you put up with me."

By the time she had finished her speech, she had pulled her knees to her chest, the sandwich dropped to the ground next to her and now forgotten. Her arms were pulling her legs even closer to her core. Her forehead rested on her knees, leaving her mahogany hair to cover what little bit of her face I would have been able to see. Seeing her before me like that, she appeared so small and frightened. The scariest part was that she looked so soft, so frail, her appearance was that of something insubstantial enough to be broken apart with the next strong gust of wind.

In my desire, no need, to protect her, my body moved of its own volition. I fell to my own knees in front of her. She had not realized I had moved, unaware of the outside world as she was. The presence I knew to be Bella was withdrawing further from me. What made her pull away and block herself further from me I could not fathom, but that was something I could worry about later. All my questions and confusion had to wait. First, I had to find a way to reach her.

I reached forward and tucked her hair behind her left ear, then her right. I couldn't keep my hands off of her, satisfying my desire to be close to her, to be touching her, while at the same time hopefully drawing her back to me. I ran my fingers through her hair, down her neck and her spine before I brought them back up her sides and across her arms. I gently unclasped her hands from her legs and put them around my neck, giving her silent permission to hold onto me instead.

_Let me be your rock, Bella._ I silently pleaded with her. She did not hold onto me with any strength, but at least she wasn't pulling away from me.

I leaned forward so that it was now my chest that was holding her legs to her body. My hands found their way to her and I again started at her hair and ran them down her neck and spine and then her sides. The hold she had on my neck tightened with each pass, giving me affirmation that I was doing something right for her. When she was holding onto me as tight as she had been holding onto her own legs, I wrapped my arms around her, supporting her and protecting her. My forehead rested against her shoulder, my mouth next to her ear.

"Stay with me, Bella. Let me show you what I feel for you," I whispered, my words hardly stirring the air between us. I felt the slightest shake of her head, 'No,' she told me without any words. No, she wasn't going to stay, no, she didn't want me to show her, or no, she didn't believe me? I had to believe it was the third as it was the only one I had a chance of changing.

"Bella, do you know what it is that I feel for you? What I hope I will someday deserve to receive from you?" That slight shake again, but her arms began to tremble from the strain of pulling me to her.

Needing to be closer to her before I told her, I did what I had thought I would never do. I quickly pulled her into my arms and rearranged our positions so she was still curled up, but now in my lap. My arms were still around her, still protecting her, but also pulling her into me. Now I was the only thing supporting her, I was acting as her rock. I could still feel the strain of her arms, but now it was her entire body shaking, shivering. I didn't think it was because she was cold, or because she was afraid of me. I wasn't positive, but I think she was trying to hold back tears. I didn't want her to cry. I pooled all my courage and reached through it so I could be strong enough to say the most important thing I would ever say to anyone.

"Bella," I kissed the top of her head.

"I," a kiss to her forehead and her body stopped shaking. I gently nudged her face towards mine.

"Love," a kiss on each eye and her nose.

She opened her eyes after I kissed them, the deep brown, watery orbs swallowing me in their depths.

"You."

She inhaled sharply, her eyes widened, her lips parted. Her lips which I had wanted to kiss for months now were right before me and I had declared my love for her. I had no will, nor desire to stay away from her any longer.

I brought my own lips within an inch of hers, "I'm going to kiss you now."

I searched her eyes for any hint of fear, denial, disgust. Anything that would tell me to stop. All I saw was disbelief, hope, joy and what I hoped was love. I moved closer, stopping just before our lips touched.

Her eyes closed before she gave me the barest of nods, but that was all I needed.

I moved forward and felt her warmth and softness against my own inflexible and frozen skin. I began to slowly move my lips against hers, and she joined in our dance quickly. I was so afraid she would be repulsed by what she felt, but no, this was Bella. I felt a wetness on my cheeks which I knew originated from her. I again expected her to pull away. Instead she pulled against my neck to hold me to her tighter. The warmth radiating from her seeped deep within me and took root at the base of my stomach where it seemed to pulse and grow. All the while our lips moved together in perfect time.

The world fell away from us, or we fell away from the world. I no longer felt the earth beneath me or the wind and sun. I could not hear the little noises of the forest or the river nearby. I did not see the trees or grass or flowers around us. The only thing I felt was the warmth and softness of Bella's body and the moisture of her tears. The only thing my eyes could see was my Bella. The only thing I smelled was Bella. The only things I heard were her little moans as she tried to stifle them, her heart, which had become erratic from the moment our lips touched, and her breathing, which had stopped. Quite a while ago.

"Breathe, Bella," I pulled my lips away from hers long enough to let her take in the breath, before she pulled me back to her. I gave her no resistance, having no desire to separate myself from her.

Ever.

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**A/N - So, now you get to let me know what you think about Edward's loooong soliloquy, Rosalie's interruption, the meadow, Bella's weird ass reaction (it will be explained in her own words/thoughts) and the kiss. You've no idea how much I wish my first kiss was like that. I'm actually quite jealous. So, hit the little green button in the middle of your screen below this to let me know what you think. And since I've got your somewhat divided attention, I'm going to push more of my favorite stories/authors 'cause A) they deserve more readership, and B) I told some of them I would do just that. :-P I'm focusing on Twilighted right now since I play on the forums there and actually get to talk to the authors. so again in no particular order, over at Twilighted you should read:**

**A Darker Shade of Twilight by VampGirl (I know I already said this, but it's complete and I heart VampGirl hardcore _and_ she's already working on the sequel!)**

**Atlas Shrugged by JeesieChreesie (Again, already suggested, but it's really, really good and everyone should be reading it!)**

**The Vampire in the Basement by michellephants (Also suggested before, but it's another that everyone should be reading)  
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**Eight Years Later by jmeyer (A few interesting twists in the midst of the typical NM Edward-Never-Returns type fics)**

**Past and Present by GiveUsAKiss413 (Very OOC, especially Bella and like one-two chapters from being complete)**

**For Eternity by MonksMama (Another NM Edward-Never-Returns fic, again, different. I am apparently a sucker for the angst)**

**The Guardian by Sophz456 (Twilight with an added player. I like how she's able to write of a very deep friendship but still keeps E/B. Pretty!)**

**The Wedding by Valef (Post BD through Jacob's POV as he watches Renesmee grow up - Mel, forgive me, I can't help it! It's fluffy...)**

**Okay, that's enough from me - you've now got half of my reading list from Twilighted. Isn't it all sparkly and shiny and pretty?  
**


	18. Chapter 18 Of Tumblings and Landings

**A/N - What's this, she actually updated? Yes ladies and gents, there is an update. And I'm sorry to say, but there very likely won't be another until mid-June. The hubby is coming home for two weeks of leave and I'm fairly certain that any writing time will be disjointed at best between now and then. I'm also starting the long project of re-editing and getting this story properly beta'd. So, with that being said, there may be some minor detail tweaks, but the overall story shouldn't be affected unless you count looking and sounding better. :-)**

**As always, thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and added this story or myself. Even if it doesn't seem like it, you really do motivate me to continue writing this.**

**Disclaimer - Not mine in any way shape or form. All things Twilight related belong to SM.

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**Bella's POV**

For what felt like the first time in days I woke up feeling refreshed. Not awake seeing as how it was still morning time. I'm not a morning person no matter how much sleep or how refreshed I felt. My grumpiness factor did decrease significantly for every extra minute I got to lay in bed snuggling into the covers wishing my dreams back into existence. Or even just snuggling into the covers with nothing going through my mind and just letting myself be did that. Regardless, there is something to be said about that feeling. Most times, I'm too busy wiping the sleep from my eyes or tumbling out of bed to appreciate the beauty of the back of my eyelids and the warmth of the comforter. Today was not one of those days.

After what felt like hours, but was likely only minutes of enjoying my slow wake up, I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar wall. Only, it wasn't completely unfamiliar. I've seen this light blue color somewhere recently.

_Oh, that's right, my old room in Charlie's house._ The light bulb finally turned on. Edward must have brought me back here after we left the hospital. I didn't remember anything after being carried to the Volvo, unless my frustration at being _carried_ out of the hospital counts. Not only was it too risky to let me walk out to the car, apparently it was still to risky for me to risk even the slightest chance of meeting Jasper's friends. Even though they had fed and were warned about me. Alice and Edward had vetoed any chance of me meeting these "normal" vampires before I even got the chance to ask. Alice claimed my sense of self preservation had to kick in sometime, but until it made an appearance, she was going to act as its spokeswoman. I had decided to ignore that comment, not that my rebellion mattered since I still was over-ruled, but it's the thought that counts.

The blue wall was starting to bore me and I decided it was time to get up. I couldn't put it off any longer without beginning to cross the line between enjoying the morning and being lazy. No one besides me would care, but it was the principle of the thing. Knowing I should get up and wanting to get up were two completely different things, so all I managed to do was roll over. My eyes were still closed when I heard the door open.

"Morning, sunshine," Edward said, his voice far too smooth for my liking this morning.

"Sunshine? More like Grumpy."

I was not in the mood to deal with a morning person today, even if that morning person was Edward. He didn't help his cause by being so darn handsome no matter what time of day it was whereas I was lucky if I wasn't mistaken for Sasquatch before a shower managed to tame my bed head. Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

Not being in the mood to deal with this particularly good looking and happy morning person, I opted to try to brush past him and let a shower wake me up. My brain must have been having trouble telling my legs what to do because rather than rolling out of bed and onto my feet I only managed to roll out of bed and into Edward's waiting arms. He effortlessly pulled me up so my feet were beneath me, but with his cold arms still around me holding me to his chest.

"And who said I was saying morning to you, Grumpy? Perhaps I was pointing out the fact that the sun has graced us with his presence today?" he smiled as he said it.

I was lost in his golden eyes by that time and didn't really hear what he was saying. He was all I could focus on, his eyes, his lips, his hair, his smooth voice, the feel of his hard yet somehow giving skin wrapped all around me. I felt my heart pick up and heard the blood rushing near my ears, and I knew he could hear it as well. Knowing that only made my heart pump even faster. Along with my heart, my lungs started to work faster and with Edward so close, the only scent that registered in my brain was him. Honey and the woods after a fresh rain was the best way to describe the air that was currently passing through my lungs.

The crazy thing about all of it was that I didn't want to move. I _wanted_ to be in Edward's arms, thinking only of him and let the rest of time pass us by. I needed to pull myself away from this line of thinking before I got hurt. I knew what I felt for him, but I didn't know what he felt for me and that made him as a man so much more dangerous to me than any vampire ever could be. While most of my brain was stunned to silence by Edward's close proximity, at least some part of it had recognized some of Edward's spoken words and had been working at making the rest of me pay attention to such key words as "sun" and "presence" and "today."

Connections were finally made and I managed to wriggle out of his arms and rushed over to the window to see if what he had said was true. Edward had spoken the truth; the sun was happily sharing its light with the good town of Forks and no clouds were anywhere to be seen. It was the perfect day to enjoy the great outdoors, which meant one place for me and Edward.

"Oh! Does this mean we can go to the meadow?" I asked him, turning only my face away from the glorious warmth of direct sunlight.

"There was maybe something that resembled a picnic and a meadow in my plans for the day. I just hadn't found someone who would actually eat the food for the picnic. Do you have any ideas?"

"Edward Cullen, if you even think of taking another person to the meadow I will tell Emmett and Jasper to kick your butt from here to Canada." How could he even think about teasing me like that?

"Is that a threat Miss Swan?" He tried to keep a smile from his face, but I could still see the sparkle in his eyes.

"Only if yours is." Well, at least I think I could get Jasper and Emmett to carry out my threat. I don't know what I would have to trade with them, but it wouldn't be easy. I knew I wouldn't have to figure out a good trade when Edward laughed.

"In light of your threat I would suggest a shower, breakfast, and a visit to this mysterious meadow you speak of."

"I'm holding you to that!" I told him as I quickly picked up my toiletries. I wasn't going to give him the chance to change his mind because of some misfortune Alice had as of yet to see.

I started to hum the song "I wish I was a Punk Rocker" as I started my shower which passed quickly as I contemplated the possibility of a career as a tambourinist in a hippie band. It sounded a lot less stressful than going to college at least.

I managed to leave the bathroom without any mishaps and after getting dressed made my way downstairs. I smelled pancakes at the landing and skipped every other step after that to confirm my suspicions.

I slid into the kitchen, my socks giving me no purchase on the linoleum. Luckily for me, Edward was too engrossed in pulling the perfectly golden pancakes from the griddle and onto a plate for me to notice. Strawberries were already heaped on a scoop of ice cream on one side of the plate. The sight made my mouth water.

"Mmm, pancakes! And ice cream? What's the bribe for?" I asked cheerfully. It didn't matter to me if there was a reason behind this treat or not because in the end, I always won by getting my breakfast and a day with my favorite people, er, vampires in the world.

"No bribe. I figured after the night and day you had you deserve some special treatment."

"You're too sweet to me, Edward." I told him as I sat down in my chair. I knew that plate would not be passed to me if I still had the chance of tripping over anything because that was one of my rules, not theirs. I never took any chances where chocolate ice cream and strawberries and pancakes were concerned.

"No such thing, Bella."

Seeing that I was safely seated, he passed the plate to me, my hand meeting his. Where any normal person supposedly would have pulled back, I was always comforted by his cool touch. It was the best way to know I was 'Home' and safe. Safe was with any of my family members and Home seemed to be with Edward in particular. It was another one of the things I did not question because it just was.

Not wanting to waste any more time at the house than we had to, I tried to eat my breakfast swiftly. It helped that I watched Edward make a sandwich for me and then put a few other things into a bag for our picnic. He was too occupied with those tasks to watch me eat and I was going to take advantage of that. As much as he and the rest of the family seemed to be fascinated by my eating habits, it always unnerved me to be the only one eating. My stomach usually started to turn so that after a while, the thought of eating another bite was nauseating. Since I ate so quickly and Edward was apparently taking his time for once, I actually got to finish my plate and even got seconds of the chocolate ice cream. No one should pass up good Breyer's Chocolate ice cream. It's almost sinful.

I finished my ice cream just as Edward zipped up the bag and it wasn't more than another five minutes before we escaped out the back door.

I loved running with Edward for multiple reasons, the least of which was that he was faster than everyone else in his family. I needed that speed right now, I needed to get away from Forks and hospitals and over protective families, and the best way was to race it to the edge of the world on the back of my favorite vampire. But he wasn't running very fast today and he was being extra super careful with me. He was bringing the hospital and over protective families with us to our meadow and I would not have it. I couldn't be coddled all the time and he needed to remember that.

"Esme runs faster than this! I may have to convince Alice you need a wardrobe to match my grandma Swan's." I taunted him. I didn't need to include the Alice jab, but it went well with my earlier threat. Apparently when I get a lot of sleep I decide to poke fun at a person that is super fast, strong and has an even stronger desire for my blood which he denies through sheer will power. I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box, but there are times when I have to wonder at my sanity.

Luckily Edward didn't see things that way. His speed increased so that the air felt cold and my eyes were starting to tear. I felt and heard Edward's laughter as it fell and was left in the wood to trail behind us. Laughter being the infectious beast that it is, my own mirth joined his.

Running with Edward was like stepping into a whole different world. The woods and forest of the Olympic Peninsula already felt as if they were from a different time. Days like this, where the sun shone through the canopy and lit the whole world through an emerald filter and I experienced the forest with a person who should by all rights and purposes be buried six feet below, always had me secretly pinching myself to be roused from some sort of dream. No one should be able to live like this and have it be real. But for me, it was real. Running through the woods on a vampire's back was now common place.

Every step Edward took was another step closer to the edge of the world. That was what I called our meadow, at least in my own head. It was the edge of the world because by the time we reached it, the rest of the world had fallen away from us and it was only Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. By the time we actually reached the meadow, even that had fallen away and I was only a girl and he was a boy. No vampires, no humans, no family or school work or responsibility. Just a boy and a girl.

That was the magic of our meadow.

It was not too much longer before we reached the edge of the world and Edward was helping me down from his back. He held onto my arms for a few seconds, waiting for my equilibrium to catch up with the change from the speed on his back to my own two unsteady legs on the ground. After a few moments, I gained confidence that I wouldn't fall over immediately and turned to look at our own little source of magic.

The wild flowers were in full bloom and the grass was still the bright green color of spring. The leaves of the trees surrounding it were full and bushy and hiding all sorts of secrets behind their cover. The best part of all though was the sun bringing out the colors so each one was sharp and unique. If I cocked my head just right I could see some of the prisms Edward's skin threw upon the ground.

"It's just as gorgeous now as it was the first time you showed me." I barely managed to keep from turning to watch him. It made him uncomfortable when I stared at him in the sunlight, so I always tried to respect that and drink up my shining and dazzling vampire in sideways and covert glances.

"It's more beautiful with you here," he muttered.

My eyes widened and my jaw loosened, but luckily managed to stay shut. _Did he really just say that?_ I turned my head to the side and looked up at him and his eyes were closed and his hand was pinching the bridge of his nose. Yes, he did say that and he most definitely had not intended to. I wasn't even sure what to make of his slip myself, but I wanted him to know it was safe for him to say what was on his mind to me.

"It's okay, Edward." _Don't hide what you're thinking from me please._ I mentally pleaded with him.

Not knowing what else to do, I continued where he left off in our journey and walked out to the center of the meadow. At least that was my intention. Through the sighs of the wind I was able to hear the little stream running over rocks on the other side of the trees and realized we had as of yet to explore that portion of our magic here. Rather than stopping and letting Edward know my new plans, I kept walking.

"Where are you going, Bella?" I never heard his steps upon the ground, but somehow knew he was approaching me.

"For all the times you've brought me here, we've never once went to the stream, and I'm curious. There wasn't exactly a lot of running water in Phoenix you know."

"You're right, how rude of me," he said with a laugh.

"Darn right! Now, keep me from falling, please." I smiled up at him as I reached out for his hand. Right then, I was craving his touch more so than anything else. It scared me how dependant to him I was getting.

As his hand searched out mine and our fingers laced together, my fear dropped away. Edward was Home and that was all that mattered to me. A glance up to his face showed a goofy grin on his face which I'm sure my lips had already mirrored and I couldn't help but think that maybe he felt the same thing I did.

Together we explored the little river that passed by our meadow and discovered another part of our world. I was even able to imagine that perhaps he saw this place the same way I did. It was our place to let all our labels fall away and enjoy each other's company. There was only one thing that came between us here and that was the fact that I was keeping a secret from him. It wasn't something I did intentionally; it just took me a long time to figure out what it was. I hadn't told him yet because I didn't know what to do with my newly discovered secret. I had never felt this way before, and it scared me but it also felt so normal, which confused me. How could it be both?

A few weeks ago the words "Love you, g'night," had slipped through my lips before I realized what they were. I had said them to Carlisle after he had taken the time to wrap my wrist for the night. The funny thing was that he was not the first or last Cullen or Hale I had said that to. Over the past month, those words had snuck their way into my thoughts and conversation with every single member of my family, except one. That one was Edward. I hadn't been sure whether it meant anything at first. It wasn't as though I felt less for him than I did for the others. If nothing else, I actually may feel more for him. But I didn't let myself think about that further because there were so many things separating us, not even the smallest of which was that I was still human and he was a vampire.

But here in the meadow, that didn't matter. Our roles in daily life didn't seem to carry over here and so I could let myself daydream and hope that I may be able to find the courage to tell him. Maybe, just maybe, Edward can look past my shortcomings and will even come to love me the same way I love him.

Those thoughts wouldn't leave me alone while we explored the river. I wanted Edward to stop seeing himself as the red or gold eyed monster and to start looking at himself as I saw him. To me, he was only Edward, the person who managed to make me laugh and smile and actually look forward to enjoying my life. I didn't think of him as either human or vampire or Batman or Boogeyman, no matter what skills or physical feats he was capable of. His vamprirc traits had been a part of him for too long for him to not have claimed them as his own and his human characteristics too strong too ignore. As much as he has tried to hide them from me, I also knew of his vigilante days. They are all parts of him, but he refuses to acknowledge them. How do I change that?

I was watching the ground trying to keep my footing on the river smoothed stones with that question repeating itself in my mind when I noticed the stones below and all around me were all different shades of green and blue and red. The colors fascinated me and I must have stood there staring at them for a few minutes. The green ones especially held my attention. Even though they were surrounded by the bright hues of the forest, they stood out and begged for a closer inspection. My mind began to wonder which of my colored pencils I would mix together to make each shade. I had not thought of my pencils, still safely locked away in a bag and untouched, for months. Not since the accident. But now I was itching to find the perfect shade of green to mimic the colors here. Several of the stones made me think of different people I had known in my past because the colors matched their eyes.

Edward's eyes had fascinated me for months now. They varied so wildly between a dark, nearly black shade to the lightest shade of gold honey. They had been red at one point in time as well. But he had once confessed that when he imagined himself, it was always with the green eyes he had been born with. I had never really considered it before, but now I was itching to know which green his eyes had been and what his eyes would look with red so I could draw Edward in his different incarnations. I wanted him to see that I accepted him, all of him, and what better way than to draw him and let him see what I thought of him?

My eyes picked out three wildly different green rocks and without really paying attention to what I was doing, I had picked them up and held them in my hands, weighing the probability of each shade for his eyes. The problem was that I had never seen his green eyes and color photography had not been invented before his eyes were forever changed. There were only two people who knew the shade of his human eyes. As much as I didn't want to let him know what I was thinking, I needed to know what color to mix to make my plan work.

"What color were your eyes when you were human?" I asked before I could change my mind.

"They were green. But what does that have to do with anything?" He sounded a mixture of surprised and distracted.

I had never wanted to roll my eyes so badly, but refrained so that maybe he would pick up on the fact I was serious about this.

"But what _shade_ of green, silly. Was it closer to this color?" I asked as I held up the rock in my right hand that I thought best matched his hair color.

"The one in the middle is the closest, but this one is the closest out of all of them." He placed a new stone in my hand. He had moved at vampire speed and I don't think he even realized it. I had to smile widely at that. Not only did he figure out what I wanted without having to ask but he was so at ease with me here that he didn't limit his movements as he usually did.

Looking at his face now, I realized I hadn't thought this through very carefully. He was curious about where this sudden interest in his eye color came from but I didn't want to tell him about my new inspiration to draw again. I wanted to surprise him and for that I would have to come up with some sort of believable excuse. What I really needed was the time to come up with it.

"Thank you, Edward. I know you're dying to know why, but can we sit down for lunch first?"

"Your wish, my command." His face relaxed and he gave me a genuine smile, letting me know he would be able to wait. I had apparently made the right decision to let him know the mystery would be solved soon.

Edward quickly got to work and had the blanket spread out on the ground for me before I realized he had moved. Everything he had been doing the last few weeks seemed to all focus on me whether it was as small as opening a door for me to preparing my favorite foods or helping me out with my homework. His constant attention had been unnerving at first but now it seemed so natural that I felt off balance when he was gone. It was only after I had started to put the pieces together that I realized I had fallen for Edward Cullen. I had not just fallen but in true Bella Swan fashion I had tumbled head over heels and had as of yet to land.

I was scared to find out what would happen when I landed.

The only three people I had ever truly loved had all left me with holes in my heart that were just beginning to heal around the edges. Losing my father, my mother, and my step-father had shown me how much love can truly break a person. I had been a broken shell of a girl when the Cullens dragged me into their world and I know now that if I had been given the choice of moving in with them or letting Fate have her way with me in those first few days after the accident, I would have turned my back on Alice and her visions without a second thought. I didn't _want_ to live without my family.

Falling for Edward was worse. I didn't think I could live without him in my life. If he told me he felt anything for me like what I felt for him I would rejoice and curse him at the same time. Rejoice because I would no longer have the fear of rejection following me as a second shadow. I would curse him because I am human and I would eventually cease to be, much as my parents had, and cause him the same pain and heartache they caused me. The thought of his heart being torn apart like that was not something I could do and so it would be easier for my love to remain unrequited. A small part of me hoped that was true.

Maybe that was what all the extra attention was about. Edward _did_ know what I felt for him but he didn't feel the same. He would feel guilty about not being able to return my love and would instead try to show me that he did care for me, just not like that. He would sacrifice his time and energy in the hopes it would mean something and we could both know that I didn't want to hurt me. I wonder if he knew that it would hurt even more knowing that he cared for me but not enough to love me. My heart hurt just thinking about that. I was good enough to care for as a sister, but nothing more. I just wish he would tell me so I could know one way or the other. Maybe that was part of it too. He was trying to figure out a way to tell me and he was hoping that if he was nice enough about it, I wouldn't be as hurt. If that was the case then today would be the day. He had done absolutely everything that it would be possible for him to soften the blow when he said he didn't love me like that.

"Edward?" I asked after he handed me the sandwich he had made for my lunch. "Why are you being so nice to me today? Breakfast, the meadow, my sandwich, whatever else you have planned for this evening, it's all too much. I'm starting to think you're going to drop some bad news on me or something." _Just say it so I can stop tumbling and finally land somewhere. _

"Have I really been so neglectful to you that you see me doing things for you as trying to soften a blow? Is it not enough for me to want to see you smiling, laughing, in short, happy?" He looked truly shocked and dismayed that I would think such a thing.

It seemed that my hope would not be fulfilled. He wasn't going to tell me today, not now that he thinks I don't appreciate him. God, I could be so stupid sometimes. How do I cause so much trouble and heartache and pain to those around me?

"I didn't mean it like that," I said, trying to hold back my tears. Why was I crying? Because I caused the man I loved to think I couldn't see his actions as he wanted me to see them, as him caring for me. "Never think that you haven't treated me far better than I deserve. I do nothing but get in the way and make things more difficult for you." _Please listen to the words behind the words and leave our hearts be_. "I still don't understand why you put up with me," I finished with a whisper, no longer speaking to him but to my legs.

I didn't want him to see me, the raw, unfiltered hurt and love and sorrow was too much and he would hurt as much as me. So I did the only thing I knew and I pulled away from him. I curled in on myself, physically and mentally so that there was a void, a distance between me and the rest of the world.

Some part of my heart knew that no matter how he responded, Edward Cullen was going to hurt me more than anyone else ever had. Maybe not today or tomorrow or even next year, but it would happen and when it did, I would wish he had never caught me when I fell from the catwalk or any of the other dozens of times he had helped to keep me alive. I would be better off dead than grieving over him. Call it intuition or a delusion or a soon to be self-fulfilling prophecy, but I knew it to be true as much as I knew the sun would rise in the east tomorrow.

I felt him touching my hair, my face, my back, my arms but it was the void he was pushing against, not me. That didn't mean his touch wasn't doing something. He was pulling me closer to him, outside of my safe place with every gentle stroke. Somehow he knew it too. I felt my arms being moved so they could no longer hold my shell together. Instead he was the one holding me together and I was now holding him to me to do it.

"Stay with me, Bella. Let me show you what I feel for you," I heard from a great distance.

_No! I don't want to be hurt again, _I screamed in silence. _I don't want to hurt anymore. _ As if in response to my unspoken plea, Edward's hands kept moving on my body and I felt the space between us shrinking even more. It scared me that he knew what to do to keep me safe and whole while he was breaking through my shell at the same time. No one should know how to do that.

"Bella, do you know what it is that I feel for you? What I hope I will someday deserve to receive from you?"

_You already have it,_ my mind cried in anguish. I couldn't let him feel pain or rejection because of me. He had to know that I had finally recognized what I felt for him, that I loved him enough to let him hurt me later.

He must have recognized a change because he pulled me even closer to him. Now all I felt was him and my void was none existent. Now there was only Edward. The rest of the world meant nothing.

"Bella," I felt his lips on my hair.

"I," now on my forehead.

His hand gently tilted my face away from his chest where it had been buried.

"Love," his lips gently touched my eyes and nose.

My eyes shot open as soon as I heard that word. I had to look into his eyes to know if he meant what he was saying. Did he really feel this love? And could it be for me?

"You."

With that one small word, my world shifted. No longer was I tumbling head over heels. Edward had caught me in his arms and told me he loved me. The future would come and I would accept what it brought with it. Edward loved me and I would show him how much I loved him back. I would show him I was worthy of his love in any way I could and today that meant putting aside all my fears and telling him that I loved him too. The task was easier said than done.

He seemed to recognize what I was thinking because he moved closer to me, searching my eyes as he told me, "I'm going to kiss you now."

I closed my eyes and nodded, nonverbally letting him know it was okay and that I wanted him too.

His lips met mine and I was surprised and comforted by their chill. This was Edward. Even with the chill of his skin I still felt a sharp electrical heat shoot through my body. It had nowhere to go since I was sitting in Edward's lap, no part of me touching the ground. Instead it began to run wild through my veins and arteries and wreak havoc with my heart. It began to beat faster, erratically, as though it didn't know what to do with the extra energy running through my body. The energy finally began to collect in the pit of my stomach and I felt it pulsing and burning in time with my heart. All this took less time than it did for me to realize that Edward was kissing me.

Then he began to move his lips and it seemed to be in time with my pounding heart. I followed his lead not wanting to lose this connection with him. The only thing that mattered in this world was Edward. I wanted to, no, _needed_ to let him know what I felt for him.

That he was my entire world.

That I would do anything for him and his happiness.

I would be whatever he wanted or needed me to be.

I needed him to live.

I didn't want to live without him.

I loved him enough that I would let him hurt me.

All this I tried to tell him in this kiss and I felt him trying to tell me of his love at the same time. With every movement of his lips or gentle squeeze of his hands he was telling me that he loved me.

Just as I felt my head begin to spin from lack of oxygen he pulled back to let me breath. One breath was all I took before I pulled his lips back to mine. This kiss was my one chance to beg him to stay with me and not let me go. Because I knew I would never be able to let him go. Not now, not after sharing this. For the rest of our forever I was his and he was mine

Eventually he pulled back to let me breath again and kissed my nose, eyes and forehead again. He rested his forehead against mine and I couldn't help but notice his breathing was as ragged as mine despite not needing the air passing through his lungs.

"I've wanted to do that for months. You have no idea how much it has tortured me to need to touch you and tell you how I feel, but always I was afraid you would reject me." He pulled me tighter against his body as though he was afraid he would lose me.

I leaned my head back, needing to see his eyes. I loosened my death grip I had on his neck and instead held his face between my hands.

"I could no sooner have rejected you as tell my heart to stop." I took a deep breath, preparing myself for my own declaration. "I love you, Edward. You held my heart in your palms long before I realized I had given it to you."

His eyes lit up and I swear I saw a spark dancing behind their golden depths. He laughed as he reached up and wiped at my cheeks with his thumbs. Apparently I had been crying and never realized it.

"You've made me the happiest man on this Earth, Bella. Thank you, love." He pulled my lips to his again and I lost myself in our love.

It was hours later and we were sitting on my old bed in Charlie's house. Edward was sitting in front of me, our knees were touching and he held my hands in his lap. At least he did when I wasn't using them to describe something to him. Each time I began to return them to his lap, he would reach up and gently kiss each palm before they were resting securely where they had started.

"What would you do if I never let them go?" he asked with a laugh, holding up my right hand to make sure I knew to what he was referring.

"Hmm," I pretended to think about it for a moment, "never talk?"

"But how would I ever get to know what was going on in that pretty head of yours if you never spoke?"

"This quite the dilemma, isn't it? Either you let my hands be free so I can talk, or you hold onto them and I don't speak."

"Or," he looked down at me and I would have sworn his eyes were smoldering, "I teach you to talk without your hands."

With the look he was giving me, I was lucky I was already sitting as my knees would have given out on me. As it was, I began to lean in towards him, my center of balance shifted to the new center of my world.

"That would be the best solution, I suppose." My words were composed of more air than sound and Edward heard the airy quality. His tongue darted out to lick his lips and his eyes widened just enough for me to see that the smoldering had turned into flames.

Without knowing quite how it happened, I was pulled onto Edward's lap and his lips were on mine. Again. And just like the first time, I felt the electricity between us set fire to my veins and begin pulsing in my stomach. Edward's lips on mine and his arms around me were heaven.

Everything with Edward felt so natural and easy that I never questioned how intense and overpowering all of my urges were. I couldn't stay away from him and I couldn't quite work up the strength to care. I had spent too long denying myself to want to care. If Shakespeare and his tragedies were anything to go by, we didn't have much time to take things slow and figure out where this new relationship was taking us. Life didn't wait whether we knew our place in it or not.

He eventually pulled back so I could breathe. I looked up at him, dizzy from the lack of oxygen and what I saw made me gasp. I had seen this, us, Edward and I on my old bed in my old room, over five months ago. His hair was disheveled from our kissing and still the brownish red I had seen then. My eyes were unable to focus on details and his features were hazy from it. Except for his eyes which seemed to gather in the light before reflecting it back in a distinct gold hue only eleven other people possessed.

"What's wrong, love?" Edward asked, his voice full of concern.

"It's nothing, really," I searched my mind to find something to explain my odd reaction. I couldn't exactly tell him that I had seen me with him in a vision I had before I had any reason to know that my life was going to take the very strange, odd path that would include meeting and living with the man I was going to give my heart to. Alice for a sister or no, it was too weird. "I just realized I don't know where you put my rock from earlier today. I want my rock."

"Oh, you mean this one?" he pulled the small, smooth stone from his back pocket.

"Yes! Can I have it please?"

"I'll think about it," he paused, "if you tell me what you're going to do with it that is."

"Well, I was going to tell you and surprise you by telling you I love you after, but now I'll just have to surprise you with my new project instead."

"Hmm, if it's a surprise, when will you do it since I don't plan on ever letting go of you?" he asked as he began to run his hands through my hair and down my back and arms.

"Then I guess I won't have to make it," I somehow managed to say with some coherency.

"You play a dirty game"

"I learned from the best."

"Which one, Emmett or Alice?"

"Good point," but before I could say anything more I surprised myself with a yawn.

"Bedtime for the human," Edward laughed as he picked me up and pulled the covers back to lay me down and pull them up over me. He had managed all that in less than a second.

I was going to argue further but before I realized he was gone he had turned out the light and was on his side next to me. I smiled at him and suppressed another yawn as I snuggled closer to him. If he was going to stay here with me, then perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to go to sleep. My head ended up on his shoulder and my arm draped across his chest and stomach. He wrapped his arms around me, making sure to keep the comforter between me and his body, and kissed my forehead and nose.

"Good night, my Bella," he murmured in my ear.

"Good night, Edward," I sighed contentedly. "I still want my rock," I told him and was rewarded with a laugh and a soft _thunk _on the night stand. He began to hum a gentle lullaby and I felt myself slowly slipping into my dreams. This felt so natural I was unsure how I had ever managed to fall asleep in the past. Before I let myself be pulled fully to sleep I managed a mumbled "I love you."

His lips on mine as he continued to hum the lullaby were my last, hazy memory before I was swept up by my dreams.

* * *

**A/N - Thank you all so much for reading! Please drop me a line and let me know what you think, what can be improved or what you liked or any questions you have. Again, there will most likely not be an update for at least two-three weeks, but I will not be abandoning this story now or anytime in the foreseeable future. Normally I would rec a few more good fics, but instead I'm going to suggest something else. I would absolutely love to see and talk to any of you out and about in the Twilight fandom. It's a lot of fun to discuss our favorite characters and stories and general life goings on. There are a few great options. **

**If you want to get some great fic reccs, you can google _The Lazy Yet Discerning Ficster_ blog. The ladies there are hilarious and give some wonderful advice and recs for everything from general life to writing to reviewing to finding more things in the community. **

**Then there's the _Temptations_ podcast that is all about Twilight and Twilight Fanfiction. Again, hilarious and awesome ladies who talk about and interview some of the best authors in the fandom. It's always fun to hear what they sound like in real life!  
**

**If you are a wee bit older (i.e. read mature and/or able to discuss mature topics without getting flustered) I would also suggest checking out some of the various LiveJournal communities like The_Gazebo or Lion_Lamb for discussions and reccs. And of course there's always the TwilightedDOTnet forums.**

**And last but not least - If any of you want to join in and give back to the community, check out Project Team Beta! You can get the information in my profile or by visiting our LiveJournal community page at wwwDOTcommunityDOTlivejournalDOTcome/ptb_twilight  
**

**Now go out and play, but please don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you thought. Feedback is always, always appreciated. :-)  
**


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